With terrorism and workplace violence in the news, workers are understandably concerned about their security. While there is no way to guard against every possibility, there are policies and relatively simple measures that employers can take to help secure a facility and protect personnel and property. Lack of adequate security can result in injury to employees and long-term economic disruption for companies. Employers need to address security concerns at the very highest level of the organization, integrate it into business operations and employment policies, and create awareness in every employee. Continue reading
Tag Archives: continuity
Disaster Training or Training Disaster?
Emergency training is not “one size fits all.”
The proper emergency response to a fire might be quite different than to a hurricane, a release of toxic chemicals, or a terrorist attack. Not knowing the difference could make a bad situation a lot worse—and you don’t want to wait until a disaster happens to find out that your emergency training is … well, a disaster. So the first step in an effective training program is to identify what types of emergencies might actually occur and determine the appropriate response for each. This may mean that you need to have more than one type of training for different possible emergencies. Continue reading
Are Employees Prepared for Emergencies?
There are two different, but equally correct, answers to this question. The first answer is that OSHA requires an Emergency Action Plan (EAP) only for employers who are covered by certain standards, such as “Fixed Extinguishing Systems” and “Process Safety Management of Highly Hazardous Chemicals” (other standards also require EAPs). The second answer is that every company really should have an EAP. Not only does OSHA highly recommend it, but it simply makes sense to have a plan for a safe, orderly response to emergencies such as fires, weather events, releases of hazardous substances, etc. And note that even relatively minor incidents, such as small fires or spills, constitute an “emergency” if they trigger an alarm and require employees to stop what they’re doing and evacuate their work areas.
Swine Flu Outbreak Resources
As a public service, here are a few reliable and current sources for information in regards to the Swine Flu outbreak:
Webinar: Will Your Swine Flu Communication Plan Work?
Recorded April 29, 2009 – 11:30 a.m. PT/2:30 p.m. ET
1 hour (45 minutes content; 15 minutes Q & A)
Featuring Dr. Robert C. Chandler, Ph.D., crisis communication expert
- The current swine flu outbreak is a serious issue, and already swine flu-related rumors and misinformation are making the rounds. Will your constituents be able to tell fact from fiction? Are you prepared to quickly guide, advise, and protect your audience in this public health emergency?
Current Updates:
- World Health Organization (WHO) – swine flu site
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html - Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – swine flu site
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htmhttp://www.flu.gov
- U.S. government pandemic flu website
http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ - US State Department – travel advisories
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html
Pandemic Planning Resources/Articles:
