Every employer has their own responsibility

Even in a shared building, every employer remains responsible for the safety of employees and visitors. This means that you must consider situations such as Italian and international brands, an evacuation or a medical incident.

The Working Conditions Act stipulates that employers must take appropriate measures for emergency situations. How exactly you organize this depends on the situation within your organization and the building in which you work.

Therefore, there is no standard solution for emergency response in a multi-tenant building.

What does the landlord do?

Many tenants think that the landlord automatically arranges full emergency response. In practice, however, the situation is different.

The owner or manager of the property usually takes care of the general safety features of the building. Examples include:

• fire alarm systems
• emergency lighting
• escape routes in common areas
maintenance of technical facilities

However, that does not yet take care of emergency response for individual companies.
After all, organizations must also think for themselves about their internal procedures, emergency response personnel, and communication during emergency situations.

Collaboration can offer many benefits.

In some multi-tenant buildings, companies choose to organize certain emergency response matters jointly. For example, when several smaller companies are located in the same building.

Consider agreements regarding:

• joint evacuation drills
• mutual support among emergency response team members
• communication during emergencies
reception of emergency services
• use of joint resources

That can help to switch gears more quickly during an incident.

Not every company has the same risks.

A joint approach does not always work automatically. After all, companies within the same building can perform very different activities.

An administrative office faces different risks than a practice space, laboratory, or technical workshop. Privacy, confidential information, or limited access to premises can also play a role.

Therefore, it is important to make clear agreements about:

• who provides support and when
• which areas are accessible
• how communication takes place
• who is responsible during an incident

Good agreements prevent confusion at times when quick action is required.

Clear communication is essential

During an emergency, every second counts. Yet, companies within a multi-tenant building often use different systems and working methods.

That need not be a problem, as long as it is clear in advance how mutual communication will take place.

For example, agree:

• how Emergency Response Officers are called up
• who has contact with the emergency services
• where employees gather
• how visitors are informed

When everyone knows what is expected, an evacuation or incident often proceeds more calmly and efficiently.

Don't wait until something goes wrong

In practice, emergency response agreements are often only discussed after an incident has occurred. For example, when a fire alarm caused confusion or no one knew exactly who needed to take action.

That is precisely why it is wise to sit down with other tenants and the landlord beforehand. Ask what agreements are already in place and determine what your organization needs additionally.

Good preparation ensures greater safety and faster assistance when it matters.

With BHV-Knop, emergency response personnel can be called up immediately. Thanks to presence detection, organizations see instantly which responders are available. This makes emergency response organized faster, clearer, and more efficiently, even in larger or shared office buildings.