The best practice guide for businesses and human resources

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Emergency response

and business continuity plan:

The best practice guide for businesses and human resources

How to develop and implement an emergency response and

business continuity plan to deal with pandemics, natural disasters, fires, floods, power outages and other states of emergency

Authors: Yosie Saint-Cyr, LLB and Colin Braithwaite

Editor: Alicia Merchant

Third Edition: November 2013

Updated: October 2014

A First Reference compliance & best practices guide

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First Reference Compliance & Best Practices Guides

This guide offers general comments on developments of interest to businesses and is written for informational purposes only. It is provided with the understanding that neither the author nor the publisher nor the legal editors are engaged in providing legal advice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of this information. The authors, publishers and all others directly or indirectly involved with the publication do not assume any responsibility or liability, direct or indirect, to any party for any loss or damage by errors or omissions regardless of the cause, as a result of using this publication.

Authors: Yosie Saint-Cyr LLB and Colin S. Braithwaite Researcher: John Johnson, Information Specialist,

Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) Editor: Alicia Merchant

First Reference Human Resources and Employment Law Compliance Group

Title and sub-title: Emergency response and business continuity plan: The best practice guide for businesses and human resources: How to develop and implement emergency response and business continuity plan to deal with pandemics, natural disasters, fires, floods, power outages and other states of emergency

Previous title: Pandemic planning: a guide for HR professionals: why your organization’s HR team should assume the lead role in pandemic planning / by Colin S. Braithwaite. ISBN 0-9780270-3-5

First edition: January 2006 Second edition: January 2009 Third edition: November 2013 Updated: October 2014

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The guide will be updated at least once a year to take account of changes to legislation, regulations, policies, enforcement programs and to ensure timeliness and accuracy. If a new edition or update of a guide is published within 60 days of your purchase, the PDF version of the up-to-date guide will automatically be emailed to you. If you want a print copy, it will have to be purchased.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Saint-Cyr, Yosie, 1962–

Braithwaite, Colin, 1953–

Researcher: John Johnson, Information Specialist, Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario (HRPA)

Emergency response and business continuity plan: The best practice guide for businesses and human resources: How to develop and implement emergency response and business continuity plan to deal with pandemics, natural disasters, fires, floods, power outages and other states of emergency

By Saint-Cyr, Yosie, 1962 — Canadian ed.

ISSN Print 2292-244X ISSN Online 2292-2458

1. Emergency management--Canada. 2. Crisis management--Canada.

3. Personnel management--Canada. 4. Epidemics--Canada. 5. Influenza--Canada.

6. Business planning--Canada. I. Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario II. Title.

HF5549.B67 2006 658.4’056 C2006- 906184-X

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Compliance & Best Practices Guides 5

Part A: Introduction

Overview

This is a revised edition of the Pandemic planning: a guide for HR professionals:

why your organization’s HR team should assume the lead role in pandemic planning by Colin Braithwaite, written when H1N1 swine flu dominated headlines.

However, organizations are realizing more and more due to the increase in natural disasters, power outages, cyber-attacks etc., they need a whole approach to emergency preparedness and business continuity beyond pandemic planning. For this reason, the guide has been revised to meet that need.

Let’s start by defining an emergency.

An emergency is…

The Oxford dictionary defines an emergency to mean a serious, unexpected and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.

The World Health Organization (WHO) adds to the definition: emergency is a term describing a state. It is a managerial term, demanding decision and follow- up in terms of extra-ordinary measures (Oxford Pocket Dictionary, 1992). A “state of emergency” demands to “be declared”

or imposed by somebody in authority, who, at a certain moment, will also lift it. Thus, it is usually defined in time and space, it requires threshold values (i.e., mortality rate) to be recognized and it implies rules of engagement and an exit

strategy. Conceptually, it relates best to Response.

Emergencies may be rare, but when they occur they can be catastrophic and costly for the government, individuals and corporations (profit and non-profit).

For example, a power outage knocks out the electricity and consequently your computer and network system; a tornado takes out your offices and warehouse; a flu pandemic spreads and most of your employees are out sick unable to work;

a hacker breaks into your server and commandeers your network. Unexpected emergencies can momentarily shut down operations, or even worse, put you out of business for weeks and force your customers to go elsewhere.

To minimize injuries, fatalities, loss of business and property damage, it’s critical that your organization effectively plans for emergencies and how to respond to them by developing and implementing an emergency response and business continuity plan.

According to the Inter-Agency Contingency Planning Guidelines for Humanitarian Assistance 2001, emergency preparedness is: “actions taken in anticipation of an emergency to facilitate rapid, effective and appropriate response to the situation.”

Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time, and can come from various sources and events. Canada’s risk environment includes the traditional spectrum of natural and human-induced

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2 Emergency response and business continuity plan

hazards: wild land and urban interface fires, floods, oil spills, the release of hazardous materials, transportation accidents, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, health or public health disorders, disease outbreaks or pandemics, major power outages, cyber incidents and terrorism. Organizations need to have the proper planning in place to confront the potential dangers and disasters brought on by these natural and human-induced hazards. Thus, emergency preparedness and response is crucial.

Examples of emergencies that have recently affected Canadians include the outbreaks of H1N1 and avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), listeriosis and mad cow disease;

the 1998 ice storm in Eastern Canada; the 2003 power blackout across the eastern seaboard; and the Alberta floods of 2013.

Emergency preparedness through an emergency response plan, policies and procedures is also an important component of good occupational health and safety and public safety programs. Besides planning for the likely emergencies and mapping out what to do when the unthinkable happens, an emergency response plan, policies and procedures can also ensure that workers respond in the appropriate manner when an emergency happens, saving time, money, resources, the organization’s reputation and ultimately lives. That’s why every corporation should have one.

Objective of the guide

The objectives of this guide are to:

• Outline the legislative authority and program policy in support of emergency management

• Provide a step-by-step guide by which organizations may develop and implement an effective Emergency Management Plan

• Emphasize the importance of sound Emergency Management Planning

• Provide a source to obtain sample documents to assist with Emergency Management Plan development

• Promote an awareness of the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in emergency management

This guide will help you understand:

• The various types of emergencies your organization could encounter and need to plan for

• The plans, policies and procedures as well as the responses needed for various types of emergencies

• An overview on the laws that impact emergency planning and response and your obligations under the law to help you develop a comprehensive and coordinated emergency response plan

• How to create a business continuity plan to ensure that your company’s operations can continue in the aftermath of an emergency, and much more

This guide is comprehensive enough to apply in any jurisdictions across Canada;

however, it may not cover all the particulars

The best practice guide for businesses and human resources

Emergency response

and business continuity plan: