BLR Interactive Webinar: Emergency Management Summit

Ted Boehm and Jack Stapleton co-presented during BLR’s “Emergency Management Summit,” interactive webinar.

Is your company ready to deal with an emergency? The tools and information to plan for and manage any workplace emergency.   

March 26, 2014
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Emergency Management: HR Policies and Preparedness

• An overview of the types of catastrophes that safety and HR professionals, as well as company management, may face
• Evaluating your risks and determining the legal and regulatory players, as well as the role of unions, vendors and contractors, especially on a multiemployer site
• HR and related policies you should review and revise now, before a workplace crisis arises
• How to design and communicate effective emergency management and related procedures to the workforce
• Strategies to manage workplace disruption on a short- or long-term basis
• Your obligations regarding employees’ pay, benefits, and security during a business disruption
• Crucial checklists to follow when pandemics or similar large-scale events occur

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dealing with the Media Before, During, and After an Event

• Elements of an effective “media guide” that sets the tone for addressing the press
• Specific ways to prepare for a media onslaught before it ever occurs
• What you should say—and not say—in the immediate aftermath of an incident
• How to develop an ongoing, positive relationship with local media outlets
• What to do so you don’t inadvertently waive privilege
• Legal parameters of public communication, including privilege and criminal exposure concerns, labor scenarios, and coordination with other parties responding to and investigating events

2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Getting Prepared: Exercises and Drills

• The exercises you should consider at your organization and who the major players are
• Do’s and don’ts for smart drills
• How to improve your employees’ performance for “the real thing” after a practice exercise or drill
• Special considerations for evacuating disabled employees
• Being prepared for when the government comes knocking to inspect the situation and who within the organization should be assigned to which roles and why

3:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.
How to Keep Your Employees Informed and Calm in the Event of Crisis

• The emergency response policies you need in your employee handbook
• How to make sure employees know what they need to do in the event of an emergency
• Practical tips for tracking employees’ whereabouts and maintaining communications in the event of a crisis
• What your employees should be instructed to say in response to media inquiries
• How employee assistance programs and other resources can help employees pick up the pieces after a crisis, and why these are so crucial