https://www.futurelearn.com/ courses/staying-safe
COMPLIANCE & RISK ASSESSMENT DON’T CHANCE IT
Beverley Grif fiths, Director for Resilience at the Emergency Planning College accounts for the role of the individual in risk assessments and compliance.
We are all responsible. Not only for our own personal safety, but at an organisational level too. Yes, some larger companies have contingency officers or even crisis managers, but on a fundamental level, we all have a role to play.
Let’s start at the beginning. It sounds obvious but is worth reiterating: risk assessment requires cognisance of the types of risk out there. The national risk register and security register are two very good places to start. ‘Risk’ is a very broad term and covers a multitude of sins. For some it may conjure up the possible structural weaknesses of a building, others a hazardous ladder left unattended. It’s important to remember however that ‘risk’ means: natural hazards; diseases; major accidents; malicious attacks; cybercrime; terrorism and everything in between.
“It sounds obvious but is worth reiterating: risk assessment
requires cognisance of the types of risk out there.”
We are, all of us, on the frontline. And if people are prepared and understand the causes and consequences of risk on a personal level, they are more mindful of the risks to business. The interplay between the individual and business can be brought into sharper focus by looking at the home environment.
If an employer understands the implications for an employee who has sustained flood damage to their home, for example, they will be better able to support them — on a human level of course — but also in aiding them back to work in the most time-efficient way possible. Conversely, we may ask: are there contingency plans if a business is affected by something like a flood but employees’ homes are not? Has adequate provision been made for employees to work from home — if indeed this is a possibility?
Another important factor to note is that we are not all at the same risk. The national register provides a regional break down of the country looking at local authorities along boundary lines — boroughs, districts, counties etc. Different regions have different inherent risks. North Yorkshire, for example, is more at risk of flooding than say Manchester or London and businesses in the region need to tailor their contingency plans accordingly.
It sounds simple, but one of the best ways of preparing is to talk to people. What happened last time? What’s in living memory? And let’s not forget
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scenario-based planning: what would you do if there was a fire? What would you do if there was a flood, a power outage or serious gas leak?
Many businesses still have a way to go when it comes to risk assessment and compliance and often even those businesses with an appointed crisis manager don’t link potential emergencies with broader health and safety policies or the role of the individual in guarding against risk.
To find out how you can better prepare for emergencies, both as an individual and member of your organisation’s frontline response against risk, you may consider enrolling onto the free online course by the Emergency Planning College (EPC): Staying Safe: How to be prepared in the modern world, which is on the online social learning platform, FutureLearn.
The course covers a range of topics, included but not limited to: concerns and perceptions of emergencies; how emergencies are assessed through risk tools; what risks, hazards and threats could we face and where do they originate; where can learners obtain further information; and how can individuals support business continuity.
www.futurelearn.com
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