Best Practices for Plan Review

Conducting an annual review of your Organizational Resilience Plan(s) is always a best practice. At Risk Resiliency we use a XX step process that incorporates best practices to ensure a comprehensive review and accurate update.

Where Should You Start?

Engage both internal and external stakeholders to form a planning workgroup. Often, you may need to establish threat-specific workgroups depending on the sensitivity of the threat. Or, depending on your threat profile, establish just one workgroup. Ensure a regular cadence of meetings and consider starting a workgroup charter. Once the workgroup is established, update and refresh your risk assessment, or conduct a new one. I find it best to engage a third party to conduct risk assessments, as they can provide an unbiased opinion of the organization's risks and threats without succumbing to the "Oh, that will never happen here" bias. You should always have your risks ranked by most likely and most severe impacts. This will allow a gap analysis of your incident-specific response plans to ensure you have plans that cover the highest frequency and impact scenarios.

Now, it is time to assess the plans against changes in operations or hazards to ensure that there are no gaps. Conduct a tabletop exercise or full-scale drill to test the updated plan's effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement. You should track changes and record them in a log to clearly document the updates, assigning any additional responsibilities for each emergency scenario to the correct stakeholder. Finally, release an internal memo to ensure all employees, contractors, and vendors are familiar with the plan and their role within it.

By following these best practices, organizations can ensure their emergency response plan is comprehensive, regularly reviewed, and effectively addresses potential hazards to protect people and property during an emergency.

Key Steps for an Emergency Response Plan Review

1. Identify Potential Emergencies: Analyze the site and surrounding area to identify hazards, such as fires, natural disasters, chemical spills, or active shooter scenarios.
2. Risk Assessment: Evaluate the likelihood and severity of each identified hazard to prioritize response efforts.
3. Stakeholder Engagement: Involve key personnel from different departments, including management, safety officers, first responders, and employees.
4. Review Existing Plan: Examine the current emergency response plan, focusing on communication protocols, evacuation routes, assembly points, and roles and responsibilities.
5. Update Based on Changes: Account for recent changes in operations, regulations, or local hazards that may require updates to the plan.
6. Conduct Tabletop Exercises: Simulate emergency scenarios to identify potential gaps in the plan or communication issues.
7. Perform Drills and Simulations: Regularly test evacuation procedures, emergency actions, and communication systems through practical drills.
8. Document Updates: Clearly log all revisions, including dates, reasons for changes, and responsible parties.
9. Training and Communication: Train employees on the updated emergency response plan, ensuring they understand their roles and communication protocols.
10. Post-Review Evaluation: Analyze feedback from the review and implement improvements as needed.

Important Aspects to Consider During a Plan Review

• Communication Procedures: Define designated communication channels, contact information, and notification methods for employees, emergency responders, and authorities.
• Evacuation Routes and Assembly Points: Ensure clear identification of safe routes and designated assembly points.
• Medical Response: Outline procedures for managing injuries and providing first aid.
• Incident Command Structure: Assign roles and responsibilities for emergency management, including a designated incident commander.
• Post-Emergency Recovery: Plan for the aftermath, including damage assessment, clean-up, and employee support.