What do the following attacks, disasters and major accidents have in common?

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• World Trade Centre, 9/11 Attacks (2001)
• Mumbai Attacks (2008)
• Grenfell Tower Fire (2017)
• Hurricane Katrina (2005)
• Aurora Theatre Shooting (2012)

Answer

In all these events security staff did not follow Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), resulting in significant consequences.

“The advice contradicted standard emergency evacuation procedures, potentially leading to more casualties as the buildings ultimately collapsed.”

“The lack of adherence to emergency protocols contributed to higher casualties and a longer time to regain control over the situation.”

“The tragedy resulted in 72 deaths and highlighted severe shortcomings in emergency response and building safety protocols.”

“The lack of a coordinated and effective emergency response led to confusion and may have contributed to the number of casualties.”

“The delayed medical response for some victims and complicated the efforts to quickly secure the area and investigate the incident.”

What can go wrong with Emergency Operating Procedures?

Emergency Operating Procedures (EOP’s) are critical to an organisation as they are designed to protect the lives of employees, customers and other stakeholders by providing clear instructions on how to respond to various emergencies. Writing EOP’s is an arduous task, as it comes with several risks if not done properly.

1. Inadequate coverage:
   EOPs that fail to address all potential emergencies can leave an organisation vulnerable to unforeseen incidents. This can lead to unpreparedness and ineffective responses in critical situations.
2. Complexity:
   Procedures that are overly complex or detailed can be difficult for employees to understand and follow during an emergency. Simplicity and clarity are essential to ensure everyone knows their role and can act quickly.
3. Outdated information:
   EOPs that are not regularly reviewed and updated may become obsolete, leading to reliance on incorrect or irrelevant information during emergencies.
4. Lack of training:
   Even well-written procedures can fail if employees are not adequately trained. Regular drills and training are necessary to ensure that staff are familiar with the procedures and can implement them effectively.
5. Poor communication:
   If EOPs do not include clear communication protocols, there can be confusion and delays in responding to an emergency. Clear roles and responsibilities must be outlined for effective communication.
6. Legal and regulatory non-compliance:
   Inadequate procedures may not meet legal or regulatory requirements, exposing the organisation to penalties and legal liabilities.
7. Employee buy-in:
   If employees are not involved in the development and review of EOPs, they may not fully buy into or understand the procedures, leading to non-compliance or ineffective implementation.

Despite the above risks, EOP’s can be and are effective tools for security and safety teams to follow in the event of emergencies. However, even with well written EOP’s things can still go wrong for the following reasons.

1. Human error:
   People can make mistakes, especially under the stress and pressure of an emergency. Misunderstanding instructions, forgetting steps, or panicking can lead to errors in following the EOPs.
2. Outdated procedures:
   If the EOPs are not regularly reviewed and updated, they may not reflect current best practices, changes in the environment, or new equipment and technologies. Even when they are updated, can you guarantee that all security staff on duty have read and understood the changes to your procedures.
3. New employee on duty:
   Have they read and understood the procedures. Do they know where the procedures are kept and are they easily accessible during a critical event. 
4. Complexity:
   If the procedures are overly complex, ambiguous, or difficult to understand, security staff might struggle to follow them correctly, especially in high-pressure situations. 

How SYNAPSE delivers effective action in emergency situations

Imagine the scenario. 

From any critical event, within seconds, your Control Room operator is presented with the EOP specific for that scenario. The incident will have been automatically scored and prioritised, driving automated action, as well presenting critical actions that are to be followed.

With the EOP’s clearly presented to the Controller, timescales are given, assignment of tasking is easy and overdue actions are escalated and once completed the call to action turns from red to green.

Automated communications are sent from the control room at the point where the incident is first logged, and a pre-set group receives the communication (Bronze, Silver, Gold Command / C-Suite / etc), and as the incident unfolds updates and further communications are easily sent to pre-defined groups as well as manually using the various media tools. 

Evacuation, a critical task requiring coordination, tasking and communication. Again, pre-defined communications to groups and tenants supports rapid and compliant evacuation. Integration with other systems such as access control and building management systems aids the process. 

Now we are on top of the event, following agreed steps to mitigate impact and by containing the event we are able to minimise business impact and protect life.

Sounds extraordinary? 

Many of the world’s leading organisations deploy SYNAPSE by Zinc Systems specifically to manage these types of events that could and would seriously impact their business operations and brand.  

Question Time..

Can you afford to take the risk that your EOP’s will not be followed, accessed or that the latest update has been read and understood?

Can you afford to take the risk that your lack of control and comprehensive EOP’s could result in employee and customer safety and even loss of life?

How confident are you that your current EOPs are comprehensive enough to cover all potential emergencies your organisation might face?

Can you afford the potential financial and reputational damage that could arise from not having robust EOPs in place?

How would your organisation manage legal and regulatory repercussions in the absence of compliant EOPs?

Have you considered the long-term costs and consequences of not investing in a comprehensive Critical Event Management system compared to the initial investment and effort required to implement one?

Learn more about how Zinc can support your organisation in the modern era its features and capabilities here.

• Incident management & investigations
• Mass notification & emergency communications
• Digitalise forms & operational processes
• Workplace health & safety management
• Compliance activities & patrol management

• Critical events/incidents
• Dashboards & analysis
• Infrastructure