In an increasingly connected and complex world economy, it’s more important than ever for companies to plan for an emergency. Whether it’s a natural disaster, new regulatory compliance standards, equipment failure or human error, global companies need to be prepared to respond.
While many companies have robust emergency planning and response programs, some companies only address emergency response plan gaps after an incident occurs. In this post, we’ll look at 10 reasons why companies should be prioritizing their emergency response programs and preparedness initiatives:
- Demonstrate a commitment to safety: Keeping your employees safe should be the top priority of any company. By establishing countermeasures to potential threats and associated risks, companies can substantiate that the safety of employees and the protection of surrounding communities and environment is important.
- Improve regulatory compliance: Regulatory non-compliance fees are an avoidable expense. By systematically aligning regulations with corresponding response plans and their components, your company can identify plan deficiencies to avoid unnecessary fines or possible mandatory shutdowns.
- Simplify outdated processes: One of the common reasons’ response plans aren’t effective is because they are outdated. It can be a challenge to keep up with the constant administrative tasks of most response plans. While this has been true in the past, maintaining a comprehensive response plan is now significantly easier due to innovative software available, cutting down the cost and time associated with maintaining response plans.
- Standardize response methods: A consistent, companywide emergency response system can deliver site-specific details and management-endorsed responses processes. Standardization allows employees and responders to conceptualize their roles and responsibilities across an enterprise, creating a common understanding of intended actions. Consistent, yet site-specific methods can assist responders in assessing, prioritizing and responding to incidents.
- Improve asset utilization: Companies should lean on employees, responders, equipment and budgets effectively in order to minimize the effects of a crisis or disaster. Realigning current tangible assets, mitigating identified inefficiencies and/or budgeting for additional response training or improved equipment will improve the overall effectiveness of an emergency management program.
- Mitigate facility/site conditions: The conditions of your facility or site may have an impact on safety or an effective response. Conditions that pose a risk to occupants, the environment, infrastructures and/or the surrounding communities should be altered or eliminated. The risk assessment process can be used to identify conditions that can lead to emergency incidents.
- Reduce incidents through risk assessments: When potential threats and risks are identified, measures can be taken to mitigate or even eliminate the potential for an emergency. Mitigation efforts can include training for employees, updating safety procedures or securing updated equipment.
- Reduce downtime: Emergencies cause operational downtime and production loss, leading to reduced profit. By implementing an effective emergency response plan, incidents can be promptly managed and rapidly demobilized, reducing costs and downtime.
- Cost savings: Proactive compliance efforts, safety initiatives, training and exercises, response and resiliency planning are typically less expensive than regulatory fines, sustained response efforts and overall repercussions resulting from an incident.
- Elevate training drills: Employee training, emergency response drills and applicable exercises identify deficiencies in emergency response planning programs. Incorporating appropriate response training and testing response plans with detailed scenarios will improve response capabilities and coordination, as well as reduce response times.
As you can see, there are many sound reasons why your company should invest time in developing a comprehensive and effective emergency response plan. Often, software solutions can help make the job a whole lot easier. Our life safety and emergency management software suite simplifies and streamlines emergency management — combined with best-in-class expert consulting, it's the best path to keeping your organization safe, secure and resilient.