Orlando, FL– Rebounding after a natural disaster or a terrorist attack presents innumerable challenges for individuals, families, businesses and their employees. One way to lessen those challenges is to have a comprehensive disaster plan in place – and to have key players know their roles, have every employee familiar with the plan, and have everyone practice implementing the plan before a crisis hits, according to a study presented today at the 17th World Congress on Health and Safety at Work being held for the first time in the U.S.
Several companies have written some sort of emergency plan, but few have taken the time to think through all of the potential crises, the aftermath, and how to prepare employees to both survive a crisis and to recover. In Global Crisis Management:A Comprehensive Approach to Crisis Management, John Russell of the Liberty Mutual Group argues that every company should have a crisis plan to prevent or reduce the human and environmental impact of a disaster; to ensure all employees know what to do before, during and after a crisis; to minimize a significant interruption in normal business operations; and to comply with local, state and federal business regulations requiring a written plan.
“Crisis management is vital to a company’s success since it is essential that organizations protect their employees, operations, customers and reputation from emergencies and disasters,” said Russell. “As we are seeing with Katrina, crises can significantly affect the stability of a company, its reputation and ability to survive a major catastrophe. I predict that those companies who had thoughtful plans in place will recover with less disruption than those that had not thought this potential storm through.”
Russell urges companies to start their planning process by selecting a team of diverse individuals who can help think through all potential risk scenarios. The key elements of the plan that the team will put in place include: an assessment of potential risks and pre-planning for emergencies and terrorism, response policies and plans that will be used during incidents, recovery plan for minimizing losses, and technology support.
The The National Safety Council is a nonprofit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. Members of NSC include more than 45,000 businesses, labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. Founded in 1913, and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the primary focus of the NSC is preventing injuries on highways and in homes, workplaces and communities.
Media Contact: National Safety Council 630-775-2307 media@nsc.org
