Planning: Implement the Plan
Now that your plan is written, put it into action by:
- Integrating the plan into all aspects of operations.
- Training your employees, through workshops, drills, etc.
- Evaluating the plan on a regular basis.
- Using the plan during an emergency.
Integrating the plan into your organization’s day-to-day operations is a time-consuming, but essential, process. Emergency planning, awareness and response must become part of your company’s culture. Some ways to do this include:
- Building awareness of the issues. Look for opportunities to increase awareness, such as distributing emergency preparedness information through company newsletters or mailings. Consider e-mail communications – perhaps an "Emergency Preparedness Tip of the Week." Include employees’ roles during an emergency in their job descriptions, and incorporate this duty into employee evaluations.
- Developing multiple means of educating and training personnel, such as inviting local emergency responders to speak to employees or encouraging them to participate in emergency training programs like CERT.
- Conducting drills or exercises on a regular basis. Hold after-action discussions with employees to look for additional ways to improve the plan.
- Making emergency management part of what your employees do and experience every day – develop posters, include the plan in your company’s employee handbook, etc.
Continue with Training.
