Best practices in disaster and emergency preparedness

Accidents take place everyday, all over the world, in factories, warehouses and when goods are in transit. Negligence is just one cause; acts of nature and events that cannot be foreseen may also steal our hand. Brands and products are not always in the custody of those trained and knowledgeable about how to handle them, and the most serious liabilities can arise through ignorance and a simple lack of training. The current age of Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Governance and Business Continuity all put even greater pressure on Executives and professionals to safeguard all stakeholders from every significant and plausible risk that the brands for which they are responsible, and the materials which go in to making them, on a cradle-to-grave canvas.

This can be so gigantic a task that most baulk at the thought of any initiative that could rock the boat. We tend to hope and pray that things will go on as they have for ages, and resort to foolhardy rhetoric and bluster at public forums, to negate the facts that our colleagues and we internally know and believe. You could be lucky and get away with it, but statistics go against you with every new day and transaction. Thank your stars should investments in safety go to waste, for dealing with adverse events can be shattering in every sense of the term. Recrimination, criticism and fatalism are of little use or relevance, for there is much affirmative action that we can take to reduce the probability of damage and to plan steps to mitigate possible effects. The following can be used as a starting point for discussion on how all of us can prepare to meet the eventualities of an accident or a disaster or even a seemingly minor adverse event:

1. Rigor in reporting, audit and group learning: Are near-misses covered up in your firm? Do people feel afraid to send information on accidents and deviations up the ladder of hierarchy? Are there lessons for you in incidents miles away and in a business of no concern? Do you have a database to log events, compare them with your operations and to eventually travel along the safety learning curve at speed and with consistency?
2. Rehearsal by fully resourced networks: Do you have on-site and off-site emergency plans? Are you satisfied with the updates? Did you have a surprise rehearsal of late? Are you geared for key people being away or incapacitated when the unthinkable happens? Do the people to whom you report know their liabilities? Are you prepared to install an emergency control center? Do you have people with information and material resources to leave for a remote site right now? What if the international media barges in to your room this minute?
3. Risk factoring in plans and decision-making: How sensitive are your profits to low-probability disasters? Do you have a Continuity Team and Plan in place? Do you have records of action taken to improve safety in major spheres that concern your business? Do you have systems of controls that prevent cutting corners on safety for short-term accounting gains?
4. Replacement and rotation of key personnel: Have you an inventory of interim professionals to aid in a recovery process? Do public authorities such as the Fire Brigade, Police and District Administration have MSD sheets for all that you make and store? Are your asset lists maintained in real-time and available off-site? When did you last recall a batch and how much of it could you not trace at all? Do you have an established chain of command?
5. Reward system linkage to risk management: How do you recognize innovation, effort and achievement in managing risks? Do stated objectives and every exhortation to your teams resound with the safety message? Would a survey show top-of-the-mind professional recall in your teams? Is it time to pause and think again of the road ahead?

Do respond with your most compelling criticism and alternate templates for sustained success.