Government of Barbados and other Caribbean Nations Consider Mandating Business Continuity Plans

The recommendation comes from consultant, Bob Turnbull, a business continuity management expert who has spent time in the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa.

The mandate would be for all companies regardless of size, and is an effort to ensure that resilience is built into the supply chains of these businesses. The call for the mandate comes at a time when business preparedness issues are highlighted due to the various and recent series of natural catastrophes around the world.

The mandate for the Caribbean Nations would put them ahead of many others, including the United States in calling for mandatory business contingency plans not just for large companies or critical infrastructure, but for all businesses regardless of size.

 As I mentioned in a previous posting, many calls are coming for increased business continuity and I expect this to be a continuing trend for much of 2011. What most businesses need to understand is that great business continuity is not a once in a while or sometimes thing or even an exercise to do one a year. Planning is not a product, but a process that should be improved upon and changed as your business changes.

One Crisis Often Leads To Another – Lessons From A Recent, Real World Incident

One of the better recent examples of how one crisis often leads to another is with BP and the incident in the Gulf with the Deep Water Horizon platform.

As most people are aware, the first crisis occurred when the blow out preventer failed leading to other explosions, fires and the oil leak (though some may say the first crisis occurred when certain protocols where not followed).

The massive oil leak lasted for months, leading to the additional crisis of how to handle the clean up and cap the unprecedented leak at depth.

The large oil spill in turn lead to the loss of income to businesses in parts of the Gulf and Congressional hearings forcing BP to take further action of setting up funds to reimburse losses.

The size and scope of the incident lead to questions from the media, along with public statements from BP which lead to a significant PR crisis for the company. Most would say this was handled very poorly by BP.    

The reimbursement process required BP to gather information from people who were claiming a loss. As of this morning it has been announced that BP has lost a laptop containing 13,000 names and personal information, including social security numbers of those filing claims with the company.

As you can see, once a crisis starts it can be difficult to stop the dominos from falling in other areas, even over the long term. One way to get in front of a crisis, and preventing a potential domino effect is to implement effective planning prior to an incident, along with training and discussions among your leadership team has to how potential crisis’s and incidents will be handled.



Calls for More Business Continuity Planning After Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Whenever a major disaster occurs, calls for better planning usually follow as we are now seeing after the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan. And, what so often happens, one disaster gives way to or creates another as with the nuclear plant issues following the natural disaster. 

There is a lot we can learn from Japan as one of the best prepared nations in the world when it comes to preparedness and planning for natural catastrophe. The first of which should be no matter how well you plan or prepare ahead of time, something unexpected or catastrophic can still occur, and the need to be flexible in your planning and using your contingency plan as a tool box as opposed to a rigid set of ordered procedures that should be followed is extremely important.

One of the unfortunate things that happen over time especially in the business world is that this type of planning quickly becomes un-important. Even more so during tough economic times as the recent global financial troubles, contingency planning was one of the first things to go.

While I appreciate the calls for better preparedness and I do agree with those calls, proper planning must consist of a continually ongoing process. Planning itself is a process and not a product or something you can do once and put it on a shelf.

Here are just some of the links to recent stories calling for better planning, preparedness and disaster recovery.

Do You Have a Disaster Recovery or Emergency Plan?

Need for Business Continuity Plans

Emergency Planning Crucial in Disaster Recovery

One last thing, while planning is great, it is still not enough. Make sure you incorporate tabletop or other exercises to test and run through your plan and look for gaps and opportunities for improvement.  



Statement from California’s Department of Public Health and Emergency Management Agency on Risk of Radiation Exposure

*The following news release was issued by Cal EMA on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.*

SACRAMENTO – Today the interim director of the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Howard Backer, and acting secretary of the California Emergency Management Agency, Mike Dayton, issued the following statement emphasizing Californians’ safety from radiation exposure and the risks of taking potassium iodide as a precautionary measure.

“The safety of all Californians is our highest priority, and we are in constant contact with the federal agencies responsible for monitoring radiation levels across the West Coast.

We want to emphasize that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have all stated that there is no risk expected to California or its residents as a result of the situation in Japan.

We are actively monitoring the situation in Japan and are ready to take all steps necessary to protect Californians should risks develop.

We urge Californians to not take potassium iodide as a precautionary measure. It is not necessary given the current circumstances in Japan, it can present a danger to people with allergies to iodine, shellfish or who have thyroid problems, and taken inappropriately it can have serious side effects including abnormal heart rhythms, nausea, vomiting, electrolyte abnormalities and bleeding.

Our thoughts are with the people of Japan at this tragic time.”

Californians with questions about radiation exposure can contact the California Department of Public Health’s Emergency Operations information line at 916 341-3947.

For updated information on monitoring, response and relief efforts in California and Japan, please visit the California Emergency Management Agency website at www.calema.ca.gov.

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For more you can go to our recent Disaster Preparedness Blog post on:

What You Need To Know About Potassium Iodide or KI

What You Need To Know About Potassium Iodide or KI

The news is reporting on people buying up Potassium Iodide also known as KI in droves and that suppliers have run out and are scrambling to make more. One supplier has also donated a large supply to Japan.

I also know several preparedness retailers who have also run out and have a large number of orders being placed that they can't currently fill. The two things that worry me about this is first, the people who may need them may not get them since the supply is short (though governments do have stock piles of them) and the second is the potential for people who should not be taking KI to have adverse side effects.

Some facts you should know about KI:

• KI only protects the thyroid gland from radioactive iodide
• KI does NOT protect the thyroid from other types of radiation
• KI does NOT protect other parts of the body internally or externally from radioactivity or harm
• KI has the potential to damage or cause swelling to the parotid glands (they produce your saliva)

Other side effects include: acne, loss of appetite, or upset stomach. More severe side effects which require notification of a physician are: fever, weakness, unusual tiredness, swelling in the neck or throat, mouth sores, skin rash, nausea, vomiting, stomach pains, irregular heartbeat, numbness or tingling of the hands or feet, or a metallic taste in the mouth.

Severe allergic reactions from taking KI are possible especially if you have certain food allergies.

People who should avoid KI:

• You know you are allergic to Iodine
• Certain skin disorders such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis
• People with thyroid disease (for example, multinodular goiter, Graves’ disease, or autoimmune thyroiditis)

Lastly KI is considered a possible teratogen (meaning birth defects or developmental issues in young people).