Page 49 - Occupational Health & Safety, May 2018

sions, or chemical releases, may result in in- juries or deaths. Natural disasters that affect large geographic areas may leave many em- ployees scrambling to deal with their own personal and property losses. Pandemic events can cause a high absentee rate.
Most companies value their employees and claim them as a chief asset. Preparing to meet their needs requires a multi-faceted approach. Involving representatives from human resources and accounting as well as liaisons from insurance companies during planning efforts can help to paint a more realistic picture of everything that may be involved with restoring employees’ basic human needs after a disaster.
Establishing clear communication channels for information as well as ac- countability, instituting Employee As- sistance Programs (EAPs), and having policies that allow certain work activities to occur at home can help avoid chaos and allay fears. Planning for emergency payroll, overtime, and temporary staffing needs also can provide a sense of continuity.
Insurance may cover the cost of a lost building or equipment, but it doesn’t typically cover the time it will take to rebuild or replace those lost items.
Property and Business Operations
Physical damage to work spaces or build- ings can be caused by both natural events and manmade disasters. Insurance may cover the cost of a lost building or equip- ment, but it doesn’t typically cover the time it will take to rebuild or replace those lost items. Keeping a record of contact informa- tion, part numbers and lead times for sup- pliers and alternative vendors can help to get replacement items ordered quickly.
In addition to the physical campus, ex- plore how natural disasters may also affect infrastructure—especially roads. Even if a disaster doesn’t impact buildings, if em- ployees and supplies can’t reach the facility because roads are impassable, business will still be impacted.
Considering airlifting employee, sup- plies, and finished products to and from the facility is implausible for most businesses, but more reasonable preparations can be made to help minimize damage to the facil- ity itself. Having adequate fire suppression
systems, being prepared for spill response, and installing backup power sources are a few of the most common preparations to help minimize downtime.
Similar to preparing for impacts on the physical facility, having plans to back up essential processes, systems, information technology, and specialized equipment is a necessity. Consider the possibility of shift- ing work to another facility or backing up and recovering data remotely to aid faster recovery, as well as costs associated with overtime, outsourcing, and expediting sup- plies to replace raw materials that may be lost or damaged.
Reputation
Brand image is one of the intangible things that can be a bit harder to quantify than the loss of physical items. But, like the loss of a person or a building, there is still an impact.
No one wants their name to be asso- ciated with causing a major incident. In this age of mass media and instantaneous sharing on social media channels, infor- mation that may have at one time been known only to the immediate community is instantly accessible to almost anyone. Having a media plan and assigning some- one as the public information officer can help to ensure that correct information is shared with media channels both during and after an emergency.
Even if the facility is not the cause of an incident, business interruptions can still tarnish a facility’s reputation, causing
lost sales and revenue. Customers who are faced with longer than normal lead times can quickly become dissatisfied and seek for other suppliers, especially if they use just-in-time ordering.
Because facilities can be impacted by so many different types of emergencies and disasters, it is important to explore and document those possibilities so that plans can be put in place to mitigate them. Having recovery strategies and resources available before they are needed increases employee, customer, and the community’s confidence that a facility can remain viable after a disaster.
Karen D. Hamel, CSP, WACH, is a regula- tory compliance professional, trainer and technical writer for New Pig. She has more than 24 years of experience helping EHS professionals find solutions to meet industry consensus standards as well as EPA, OSHA and DOT regulations. Karen is a Certified Safety Professional, OSHA-authorized Gen- eral Industry Outreach Trainer, Walkway Auditor Certificate Holder (WACH,) Com- munity Emergency Response Team (CERT) Trainer, hazmat technician, serves on the Blair County, PA LEPC and has completed a variety of environmental, safety, emergency response, DOT and NIMS courses, including Planning Section Chief. She conducts semi- nars, webinars, and trainings for a variety of national organizations. She can be reached at 1-800-HOT-HOGS® (468-4647) or by email, karenh@newpig.com.
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