Are We Ready for a Storm?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 6:08 am
Top 10 Hurricane Preparedness Tips for the Chemical Industry
CHEMTREC and the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD) recently convened a panel of professionals to share their experiences on preparing for hurricane season. Here are the top 10 tips for achieving hurricane preparedness in the chemical industry:
1. Implement Hurricane specific training and drills
Develop and deliver regular hurricane preparedness training sessions. These should band database build on existing emergency management training and scenarios but specifically address the threats associated with hurricane season. Conduct regular or periodic drills that simulate various hurricane scenarios to test and refine response protocols. Use these drills to assess the effectiveness of current plans and make necessary adjustments. The panel found that the greatest risks were often from tropical storms and hurricanes getting rid of ‘belts & braces’ – but tropical storms will often catch you unprepared.
2. Developing Custom Plans for the Site
Many organizations lack site-specific hurricane preparedness plans. Generic plans may not address unique vulnerabilities and needs, resulting in inadequate preparedness. Create detailed plans for each site, taking into account its unique risks and resources. Collaborate with emergency management professionals to improve these plans. Periodically review and update site-specific plans to incorporate new information and emerging risks. Take a free health check here to identify your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
3. Focus on Recovery Planning
Organizations without strong recovery plans often experience prolonged operational disruptions and significant financial losses. Too often plans focus solely on response, without considering how the business will recover. Statistics from FEMA indicate that 90% of small businesses that experience a disaster fail within two years - recovery planning is critical to business success!
4. Upgrade Staff Communication and Tracking Systems
Maintaining communication with your team before, during and after a severe weather event is crucial. Many organizations still use manual processes to do this which are time consuming and do not always convey the urgency of any message. Invest in reliable and versatile mass communication tools that can operate during power and network outages, and deliver information quickly in the event of an actual or potential incident – these DO NOT have to cost a fortune to be effective! If you would like advice or guidance and this is of interest to you, schedule an appointment or email us at [email protected] .
CHEMTREC and the Alliance for Chemical Distribution (ACD) recently convened a panel of professionals to share their experiences on preparing for hurricane season. Here are the top 10 tips for achieving hurricane preparedness in the chemical industry:
1. Implement Hurricane specific training and drills
Develop and deliver regular hurricane preparedness training sessions. These should band database build on existing emergency management training and scenarios but specifically address the threats associated with hurricane season. Conduct regular or periodic drills that simulate various hurricane scenarios to test and refine response protocols. Use these drills to assess the effectiveness of current plans and make necessary adjustments. The panel found that the greatest risks were often from tropical storms and hurricanes getting rid of ‘belts & braces’ – but tropical storms will often catch you unprepared.
2. Developing Custom Plans for the Site
Many organizations lack site-specific hurricane preparedness plans. Generic plans may not address unique vulnerabilities and needs, resulting in inadequate preparedness. Create detailed plans for each site, taking into account its unique risks and resources. Collaborate with emergency management professionals to improve these plans. Periodically review and update site-specific plans to incorporate new information and emerging risks. Take a free health check here to identify your strengths and opportunities for improvement.
3. Focus on Recovery Planning
Organizations without strong recovery plans often experience prolonged operational disruptions and significant financial losses. Too often plans focus solely on response, without considering how the business will recover. Statistics from FEMA indicate that 90% of small businesses that experience a disaster fail within two years - recovery planning is critical to business success!
4. Upgrade Staff Communication and Tracking Systems
Maintaining communication with your team before, during and after a severe weather event is crucial. Many organizations still use manual processes to do this which are time consuming and do not always convey the urgency of any message. Invest in reliable and versatile mass communication tools that can operate during power and network outages, and deliver information quickly in the event of an actual or potential incident – these DO NOT have to cost a fortune to be effective! If you would like advice or guidance and this is of interest to you, schedule an appointment or email us at [email protected] .