Are you ready for the G20?

|blog whs-blog

In November 2014 it will be Australia’s turn to chair the G20 Leaders Summit. The main event, to be held on the 15th and 16th of November in Brisbane, will be preceded by numerous meetings held in a number of Australian Capitals throughout the year. There are a number of potential negative impacts of this event on employers and these highlight the need for businesses to have in place effective plans for responding to emergencies and/or disruptions.

During the 2010 G20 summit in Toronto, protests turned nasty, with a firebombing, violent clashes, and significant property damage resulting in the escalation of security measures and effective lockdown of the city center. Buses were diverted from the area, and nearby hospitals, shopping centers and hotels were also ‘locked down’. Imagine the impact the disruption, chaos, confusion and anxiety such an occurrence would have on your organisation.

Organisational planning in relation to the impact of these events is essential. Having such a plan allows a business to communicate potential inconvenience to customers, minimise disruption and confusion, maximise productivity, and to ensure that the safety and health of employees during this time is not adversely affected.

So how does one plan for such an event or occurrence? (Using the G20 as an example):

1. Determine your exposure/risk.

This might involve asking questions such as:

  • Do you have business premises in the affected area/s?
  • Do your employees perform work in the affected area/s, if yes how often/when?
  • Do you have employees that live nearby or need to pass through the affected area/s to attend work?
  • Are any essential services provided to your business located in the affected area/s/?
  • Do you have in place emergency procedures that encompass non-fire risks such as riot, bomb threat, natural disaster etc?
  • Do you conduct emergency drills on a regular basis?

2. Identify Control measures

Once your organisation’s likely exposure has been identified and assessed, control measures can be put in place to eliminate, or at least reduce the risk of damage, harm or disruption as a result of the event.

Putting my safety hat on, I recommend using the hierarchy of control, which is where the preferred order of control strategies is Elimination, Substitution, Isolation, Administration and Personal Protective Equipment.

In terms of the G20, the number of employers and employees likely to be affected by the leader’s summit has been reduced through the government decision to make Friday 14th November 2014 a public holiday for those that work in the Brisbane local government area. This reduces the risk for those who work in Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm type jobs, but does not necessarily remove it as it is possible that protests and other disruption could occur in the weeks leading up to the summit. Retail, hospitality, healthcare, emergency services and other workers will still be required to work on the affected dates.

For employers of these workers it is essential that consideration be given to:

    • Reviewing rosters and work arrangements and rescheduling work where possible to avoid employees travelling through the affected area on the relevant dates
    • Working from home or from alternative offices where possible
    • The employees safe travel to and from work considering potential road closures/transport changes
    • Potential emergency travel and accommodation options for employees
    • Reviewing emergency procedures (and updating them where necessary)
    • Communicating the process to employees for making decisions and responding in an emergency situation
    • How will you communicate information to employees outside of the work premises? e.g. do not come to work due to emergency situation. It is important to consider all available

communication methods, their practicality and reach, e.g. Internet/Intranet/Social Media/email/telephone/text message.

  • How will you address and or manage concern or anxiety experienced by employees who are required to work on the relevant dates.

 

Planning for emergency situations can be a time consuming and challenging process. The number of uncontrollable variables can be overwhelming at first, but planning, problem solving and putting in place a number of flexible response options can assist in protecting an organisation and its employees from significant impact or harm in such a situation.

Christina Willcox MHSc; PostGradDip OHS; BBus
Workplace Health & Safety Specialist