Protect Yourself Against Terrorism
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IN THIS ISSUE |
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PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST TERRORISM |
In light of the current conflict in the Middle East, it's time to think rather more seriously about aspects of health and safety that are less a cause for concern in normal times – that is the risks to people and businesses of some form of terrorist retaliation.
Some of our clients, being internationally known names, are certainly more high profile than others and have probably already looked very carefully at the potential of becoming targets and what practical measures they are able to put in place to combat the risks. However, no one can afford to be complacent. Past experience of terrorist groups should alert us to the fact that they often prefer “soft” targets to those that are likely to be well prepared. Consequently, SMEs may be just as much at risk as larger organisations since they are less likely to see themselves as being at risk and are therefore likely to have less sophisticated controls in place.
Assess & Control the Risk
As in any risk assessment for health and safety purposes, risk is evaluated as the product of probability (the likelihood that an incident will occur) and the severity (the harm that would result should an incident occur). Arguably the conflict in the Middle East hasn't done much to change the severity factor, but it has almost certainly increased the likelihood that Western businesses might become targets. The UK's direct involvement in the conflict is another factor that we need to take into account.
Having assessed the risk, which includes identifying who (and what) is at risk as well as the nature of the hazard, the next task is to minimise the risk as far as possible by introducing appropriate control measures. Having minimised the risk, the next step is to have measures in place to minimise the harm, should the unthinkable happen.
Perhaps the final step is to ensure insurance is in place to provide some financial support in the event of an incident. It is worth mentioning insurance at this point simply because many businesses, when considering risk, take the view that they are insured against such eventualities. However, we need to be clear that insurance, of itself, does nothing to reduce the risk of an incident occurring and in any case, following the 11th September attack, many insurance companies have tightened up their terms of insurance to specifically exclude acts of terrorism and war. Perhaps it is time to dust off some of those policies!
Whilst this article is concerned with the health and safety aspects of a terrorist attack, much the same procedure of risk assessment applies to disaster recovery and business continuity. What we are advocating is that personal health and safety should be an integral part of such planning and should not be viewed as secondary to the continuing survival of the business.
Bomb Threats
The first step, then, is to identify the nature of a possible terrorist incident. A review of past incidents that have made the news would suggest one of the main threats is from bombs planted in premises or vehicles, or sent through the post. In general, one of the best means of controlling this risk is for everyone to be alert to the possibility and that requires education, information and constant reminders. In addition, physical security needs to be reviewed to ensure arrangements are adequate for the identified risks and that they are being operated to maximise their effectiveness and efficiency.
Everyone in positions where they may receive bomb threats (switch board operators or call handlers are obvious examples) must be instructed about what to expect and how they should react. The accuracy of information gleaned from a caller can literally be the difference between life and death. Warnings are not always given but if one is received, everyone needs to be aware of the procedure to follow. It is often assumed that the response to a bomb threat is exactly the same as for an evacuation in the case of fire, though this is not necessarily the case. Whereas the aim of a fire evacuation is to remove people to a safe distance away from the presence of the fire, in the case of a bomb, the aim is to have a barrier between the people and the location of the bomb. In practice, having people follow a fire evacuation route could actually be directing them toward the bomb location. It is also true that people's injuries are often caused by indirect consequences of a bomb blast rather than directly by the blast itself. So, for example, it is important keep people away from large areas of glass that could be shattered by a bomb blast.
Chemical & Biological Agents
Another possibility is the release of some harmful agent into the atmosphere or water supply of a building. In fact, one of the main justifications given for pursuing the conflict in the Middle East is the belief that Iraq has been deliberately developing and mass producing chemical and biological agents. An attack of this nature was launched on the Japanese underground system and the possibility was brought closer to home by the discovery of traces of Ricin in a domestic flat in London.
The use of air conditioning in modern buildings provides an ideal delivery mechanism for such agents. As always, the first priority should be prevention and that often means good security. Ensure there is adequate protection for all parts of the air conditioning system where agents could conceivably be introduced and impress on all users of the building, particularly security and maintenance, the importance of ensuring a high level of security is maintained at all times.
Regular inspection, cleaning and maintenance of the system should be normal practice but its importance may need to be emphasised to ensure such units as filters are not damaged and are operating as effectively as they should be.
Should an attack be identified, it is important to have an effective response procedure in place. For some people, this may demand very rapid action, for example to close down the air conditioning to limit distribution of the agent. For most people it is likely to involve evacuation and treatment for those affected.
Assess Your Own Risks
These are just two examples of the increased risks that organisations face in the current situation. As always with health and safety, there are no “one size fits all” solutions and therefore, every organisation needs to assess its own risks and what are appropriate measures to take in order to minimise them. For most organisations, we are not at this time suggesting anything dramatic such as issuing gas masks to every single employee, but we are recommending that the increased risk is sufficient justification to review our normal health and safety measures and, while we are at it, possibly recognise one or two new or increased risks.
See Concepts for a broader perspective on Managing Health & Safety
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David Skews, (CEO)
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EDP Health Safety & Environment Consultants Ltd
Lakeside, Alexandra Park, Prescot Road, St. Helens, Merseyside, UK
Telephone: +44(0)1744 766000
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