How Proactive Crisis Planning Supports Safer and More Sustainable Operations

The United States is an industrial country. Our infrastructure would completely change if all our industrial plants fell due to crises and devastating incidents. It’s up to business owners to enforce strict crisis management protocols to protect their employees and the environment in some cases. 

The Human Resources department is a big part of keeping industrial settings safe during crises. However, a crisis can arise at any time, and that responsibility cannot solely fall on HR. Industrial incidents are susceptible to the devastating effects of equipment failure, cyber threats, natural disasters, and violent attacks.

While it’s hard to mitigate all risks, HR can at least establish a blueprint to intervene in such crises. Follow along as we explore the importance and necessity of crisis management in industrial settings.

Identify Risks

You can’t protect an industrial workplace from a crisis until you identify the risks. These risks vary between industries and businesses, so identifying them is best done from within. For example, chemical plants often contain corrosive and harmful chemicals, which can be dangerous when mixed or stored incorrectly.

Climate and environmental risks are also dangerous and must be considered. That’s especially true for industrial plants located in areas prone to natural disasters, like hurricanes and tornadoes. Identifying such risks is the first step to crisis planning.

From there, they can create a plan to deal with such risks and inform everyone who would be affected by such disasters. That includes risk mitigation practices, as well as evacuation protocols when something goes wrong. Appointing someone with an MBA concentration in operations management is essential today.  

Create a Team

No matter how well-orgnized an industrial workplace is, accidents can still happen. Relying on just one or two people to create and execute a crisis resolution plan is unrealistic. The HR department is much better off if they assemble a team consisting of people from several departments to address incidents before they become worse.

Each industrial facility should have at least one crisis manager who communicates with people across departments. This ensures that representatives from specific departments can spread information among their peers. That way, the crisis manager and HR department won’t have to tackle emergencies alone.

Everyone on the crisis management team can inform their fellow department members about the crisis plan and offer their own ideas. Of course, each possible crisis requires a unique response plan. That includes natural disasters, industrial accidents, and spills, among other emergencies.

Streamline Communication

Calmly communicating and reaching people can be difficult during an emergency. Without a good crisis plan, things can quickly become chaoti due to a lack of communication. That’s why it’s so important to appoint people from eah department to speak on behalf of their teams.

Granted, everyone should be able to use an emergency line during a crisis. However, the key is to ensure people can’t easily block others from speaking and articulating their points. Otherwise, nobody can get their point across, and time will be wasted.

If possible, it helps to provide materials or quick courses regarding how to succinctly and effectively communicate during a crisis. That way, HR can reach a solution and intervene much faster.

Update the Protocols As Needed

The nature of industrial incidents changes all the time, and that’s important to keep in mind. For example, cybercriminals pose a bigger threat to industrial plants than ever with their ever-evolving schemes. Cybersecurity constantly evolves, and industrial plants must evolve along with it to avoid devastating cyberattacks.

Updating cybersecurity protocols is essential to reputation-ruining data leaks. Naturally, the systems and equipment at an industrial plant will eventually grow outdated and need replacement. Similarly, industrial facilities sometimes adopt different materials, equipment, chemicals that carry unique risks.

Each new system or chemical is different, and the training and response plans should reflect this. By updating the protocols, you can protect the employees, minimize financial losses, and avoid reputational damage. It’s also important to keep up with safety protocols regarding drug use and violent incidents as they are increasingly common.

Crisis Management Saves Time, Money, Resources, and Lives

Crisis management is as essential today as it ever was, regardless of the industry or business. However, industrial settings carry many risks even when there is no threat of a major crisis, like a natural disaster. The dangerous nature of the equipment, chemicals, and location of many industrial settings demands a comprehensive crisis blueprint.

Every industrial complex should have industrial hygienists on staff. What does an industrial hygienist do? Industrial hygienists identify and evaluate risks, then investigate and take care of incidents as they occur. Ethically, industrial businesses must craft plans to address such crises to protect their employees. In some cases, a crisis response plan can also protect the environment and surrounding towns. It may start with HR, but it’s up to everyone to comply and create a safe environment to ensure longevity and comfort.