Environmental Crisis Management

February 25th, 2015

Environmental Crisis Management

THE WORLD IS AN UNPREDICTABLE PLACE And despite the best laid plans….

Unexpected Events Are Drivers of Environmental Crisis Management

UNEXPECTED EVENTS can affect even the most prepared companies.

Significant Environmental Damage

Property Damage

Personal injury to employees or people in the surrounding community

Death

These types of events lead to considerable adverse business impacts on a company in terms of money,

reputation and workforce

Environmental Crisis Management

UNEXPECTED EVENTS Leads to Uncertain Outcomes

Major environmental remediation costs and toxic tort liability

Possible governmental investigation

Civil and Criminal Enforcement

Catastrophes can threaten the viability of the business

How do we minimize ?

Environmental Crisis Management

TO MANAGE UNEXPECTED EVENTS You Need to be Ready with a Plan of Action

Environmental Crisis Management

Do you have a SPCC, PIP or Contingency Plan?

PURPOSE OF SPCC AND PIP Allows you to Quickly Mobilize and Coordinate

Environmental Crisis Management

A successful environmental crisis management plan incorporates Preparedness, Emergency Response, Disaster Recovery and Mitigation & Prevention.

IMPORTANCE OF A SPILL PREVENTION PLAN Allows Peace of Mind

Important tool in preventing spills

Describes how best to handle certain waste materials

Identifies areas where spills may potentially occur

Standardizes your operating procedures to minimize accidental spills or the likelihood of one happening

You may be required by law to have a SPCC Plan

Don’t Be Caught Off Guard!

Environmental Crisis Management

WHY IT HELPS? when an environmental crisis happens

Develops your capability to react

Make prompt and necessary decisions in a safe and effective manner

If you prepare for the “worst-case scenario” then you can handle other situations as well

Teamwork and rehearsal are also critical success factors

Training allows rational decisions and take appropriate actions in an extreme situations

Don’t Be Caught Off Guard!

Environmental Crisis Management

WHAT’S INSIDE A SPILL PLAN It could save you.

Implementation of Plan is based on a threat to human health or the environment.

1. Fire or Explosions 2. Material spills or Releases 3. Life threatening injuries or death

Control Procedures – How to respond to the type of the emergency.

Prevention of Recurrence or Spread of Environmental Release

Spill Control

Evacuation Plan

Staff Training

Environmental Crisis Management

Know What’s Inside Your Plan!

WHAT’S INSIDE A SPILL PLAN Important Elements Continued…

Facility diagram and description of the facility Facility drainage Appropriate secondary containment or diversionary structures Facility inspections and Site Security Requirements for bulk storage containers including inspections, overfill,

and integrity testing requirements Loading/unloading procedures for tank trucks Transfer procedures and equipment (including piping) Requirements for qualified oil-filled operational equipment Personnel training on accidental discharge prevention Plan certification

Environmental Crisis Management

Know What’s Inside Your Plan!

WHAT’S INSIDE AN EMERGENCY SPILL PLAN Continued…

Emergency Coordinators List (Internal / External)

Be Prepared!

Environmental Crisis Management

WHAT’S INSIDE AN EMERGENCY SPILL PLAN Continued…

Emergency Coordinators List (Internal / External)

Environmental Crisis Management

WHAT’S INSIDE AN EMERGENCY SPILL PLAN Continued…

Emergency Coordinators List (Internal / External)

Environmental Crisis Management

Remember, You have a life ring – Use It!

STEPS TO MANAGE AN ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS You need to stay on point keep focused

The Best Defense is a Good Offence

1. Get as much information as you can

2. Communicate with your team, assign roles

3. Identify and Verify the Issue

4. Tell the Truth

5. Training and Recovery

It’s Game Time!

Environmental Crisis Management

A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE

We traveled 2.2 million miles without a spill! But Today, Our Tanker Flipped Over.

Ohhh %#@#!!!

Now What?

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #1. ACQUIRE AS MUCH INFORMATION AS YOU CAN

• What happened? • When did it happen? Where? • Have there been any fatalities? Is anyone injured? Who are they? • Are the injured being cared for? • Have families been notified? • Is anyone still in danger or in need of assistance? • Is there damage to our property or customer property that is unsafe? • Is the crisis confined to our property or is the local community impacted? • Have local authorities (police, fire, rescue) been contacted? Are they on-site? • Is there potential for more damage? • Is any Hazardous / Non-hazardous material involved? Any release to the

environment? • Are news media on the scene? Who are they?

Environmental Crisis Management

Accident

People

Safety

Property

Environment

Media

STEP #1. TIP Continued

Use Your Cell Phone.

1. Won’t miss a call and have record of all incoming calls, names, date, time, and phone numbers.

2. Be able to be in contact after hours should someone need to get a hold of you.

3. Send text message updates.

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #2. COMMUNICATE WITH TEAM, ASSIGN ROLES Game on, you ready?

1. Call your environmental spill response team. 2. Assemble team members and key decision makers as soon as

possible 3. Keep the team size to a small functional group and attack the

problem • President – Environmental Spill Co. / Call State Police / Call

MDOT • COO – Communicate with Customer / Sales / Office Staff • Plant Manager – Dispatched to the Scene • Transportation Manager – Dispatched to the hospital /

Communicate with family • Insurance company - notified • Legal Counsel - notified

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #2. INFORMATION IS KEY continued

Record Everything!

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #2. TIP continued

Share email summary with key parties in the morning.

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #3. IDENTIFY AND VERIFY THE ISSUE What are we dealing with?

“Go and See” You need to get your people on the scene to witness what exactly is

happening. You need to be able to get firsthand knowledge of the

environmental crisis. You need to be able to convey to your customer that you care.

“Boots on the Ground” is extremely powerful and goes a long way.

Affected parties become more comfortable Situation becomes more of facilitating a problem-solving

atmosphere, rather than a hostile one.

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #3. IDENTIFY AND VERIFY THE ISSUE Continued…

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #3. IDENTIFY AND VERIFY THE ISSUE Continued…

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #4. TELL THE TRUTH or the consequences could be dire.

The truth will always come out eventually

Honest, open and fair disclosure is always the best policy Don’t apply a theory of “deny, deny, deny” in the case of a crisis Don’t fail to acknowledge that there is really a crisis situation at

hand. (i.e. Don’t minimize what just happened) Own it and take responsibility The sooner you do, the better off you are because the situation

could spiral out of control very quickly

Environmental Crisis Management

STEP #5. TRAINING AND RECOVERY

Make sure everyone understands what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what was done right

Enhance the detection and prevention practices that employees must follow to prevent a spill

Make changes to your SPCC and PIP to minimize future environmental risk

Environmental Crisis Management

SUMMARY

In the end, your Customer and Regulatory Officials are not going to judge you as to whether you are a bad company or vendor, but rather:

“HOW DID YOU RESPOND TO THE CRISIS?”

Environmental Crisis Management