BLR's "Emergency Management Summit" Interactive Webinar

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

Is your company ready to deal with an 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