Muster Points

This is one of the first things brought up in your orientation on site or even in most safety training classes. This is not where you get toppings for a hot dog… it’s where workers safely assemble in the case of an emergency. These meeting points help avoid unaccounted for workers and work for even a huge scale of workers.  However, if we become careless about muster points, they are pointless. They might as well be signs that say “chaos” or “stampede” in their place. It’s a blessing if we never have to use these assembly points, but that doesn’t mean we can forget about them all together.

Always know where your muster point is. The one you had in orientation has probably changed and could change day to day, even hour to hour depending on where you’re working. If you’re not sure ask a supervisor. Please don’t settle for a general answer like “by the wash cart”. There are tons of wash carts. Get someone to point it out and if you need to, physically walk over to it so you won’t forget. Always write it on you JHA. Make sure you go over it with your partner or crew working in the same area. Always ask when signing into a JHA. Keep in mind, if an emergency does occur and you’re at the wrong muster point, no one will know where you are and a search could ensue. If you do end up at the wrong one, make sure you tell the appointed safety officer in charge of that muster point, so he/she can radio it in.  This will save everyone’s time and worrying about your whereabouts.

Muster points are one of the many things we pray we never have to actually use. However we need to be very aware of them. This is one of the reasons most sites do practice evacuations. This is great, but you need to take it upon yourself to always be in the know. Every time you change work areas, know your muster point and know you’ll be safe.