NYU Communications Working as A Nurse at A Local Hospital Discussion

Based on Brown- 2004. Media Relations for Public Safety Professionals You work as a nurse at the local hospital. You have been called in by your supervisor to discuss a statement that you made to the news media regarding the mayor’s treatment as a result of her recent visit to to your hospital. Your comments have caused massive speculation that the mayor’s health may prohibit her from finishing the term in office. The reporter is considered to be a regular at city hall and you knew him rather well. Your department has no public information officer or media policy. Consider the following questions:—What comments did you possibly make that may have prompted the speculation? —What is the likely impact of your comments?—What role might your relationship with the reporter may have played in this incident?—How might the situation have been better handled? In light of your consideration of the above questions how would you respond to your supervisor and why?
Chapter 14
Copyright 2016. Routledge.
All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted under U.S. or applicable copyright law.
The Crisis Communications
Plan
Crisis Inventory
Before an organization can develop a crisis management plan or a crisis
communications plan, it must determine which crisis or crises the
organization is most likely to face. A crisis communications plan’s
usefulness is directly associated with how speciﬁc it is to a particular type
of crisis.
The workbook for this text takes the user through a step-by-step process
of developing the crisis communications plan. Although there are several
items in the plan that are mutual to all types of crises, varying information
is needed for each type of crisis for maximum effectiveness. For example,
a restaurant chain may decide that food poisoning and ﬁre are its most
probable crises. If a food poisoning crisis occurs, the media will want,
and the public relations department should have, the following items
readily available and in its crisis communications plan: recipes, a list of
ingredients stocked, a list of vendors used, kitchen precautions and
procedures, names and contact numbers of chefs and all other personnel
handling food, and a list of medical experts for consultation and as
spokespersons.
If a ﬁre occurs, the public relations department should have, in a speciﬁc
crisis communications plan, information about its evacuation procedures,
its policy on using nonﬂammable decor items (such as window coverings
and tablecloths), the ﬂoor plan of the structure, and ﬁre experts for
spokespersons.
The following list enumerates common types of crises. There are, of
course, numerous others. Companies and organizations are advised to
consider the list carefully and add types of crises speciﬁc to their operations. Some crises will involve more than one of the types listed, such as
workplace violence and fatality, or boycott and sexual discrimination.
Perhaps the involvement of the entire company or of representatives
from each department can help determine the crises the company is likely
to face. Then each unit’s selections could be compared and compiled into
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The Crisis Communications Plan
Common Types of Crises
acquisition
age discrimination
alcohol abuse
bankruptcy
boycott
bribery
chemical spill or leak
computer failure
computer hacking
contamination
data loss/theft
drug abuse
drug trafficking
earthquake
embezzlement
explosion
fatality
fire
flood
hacking
hurricane
kickbacks
kidnapping
lawsuits
layoffs
merger
murder
negative legislation
plant closing
product failure
protest demonstrations
racial issues
robbery
sexual discrimination
sexual harassment
strikes
suicide
takeover
tax problems
terrorism
tornado
toxic waste
transportation accident
transportation failure
workplace violence
a company-wide list. When done properly, this can be an effective
proactive employee relations program, a way of creating “we-ness,” a way
of including all of the employees in the company’s decision-making.
Janitors, executive assistants, blue-collar and white-collar workers,
midlevel executives, as well as top executives can have a say. After all,
each employee stands to suffer if the company should go under after the
most serious of crises. Furthermore, employees in each position
classiﬁcation have unique perspectives on things that can go wrong.
Janitors are more aware of heating and cooling equipment, possible gas
leaks, and so on. Workers on an automobile assembly line know more
about the quality of cars than managers in carpeted ofﬁces.
However, if a company-wide crisis identiﬁcation program is not
feasible, a meeting of key employees familiar with all facets of the
operation can determine the crises the company is likely to face. Such a
meeting should certainly include more than public relations staff members.
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The Crisis Communications Plan
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You do not want the company blaming the public relations staff for the
failure to recognize a possible crisis.
Frequently, ascertaining probable crises can point out problems that
prevent crises from occurring. This is the primary reason for companywide involvement. The second best reason is being able to manage a crisis
once it occurs.
Every company and organization can experience many types of crises.
Two questions must be answered: (a) How likely is this crisis? and (b)
how devastating can the crisis be? Crisis communications plans should
be developed for all crises believed to be both most probable and most
devastating. To do this, the public relations department, with its key
executives, must take an inventory. Each possible crisis must be ranked
as follows:
0—impossible; that is, the crisis has basically no chance of occurring
1—nearly impossible
2—remotely possible
3—possible
4—somewhat probable; has happened to similar companies
5—highly probable; may or may not have previously occurred in the
company, but warning signs are evident.
Each crisis also should be ranked according to its potential damage to
the company. The rankings in this category are as follows:
0—no damage, not a serious consequence
1—little damage, can be handled without much difﬁculty, not serious
enough for the media’s concern
2—some damage, a slight chance that the media will be involved
3—considerable damage, but still will not be a major media issue
4—considerable damage, would deﬁnitely be a major media issue
5—devastating, front-page news, could put company out of business.
For added security, when in doubt, rank a crisis in the next highest
category. For instance, Company Z determines that there are ﬁve crises
it could face: workplace violence, ﬁre, protest demonstrations, negative
legislation, and tax problems. Each of these crises might be ranked as
shown in Figure 14.1.
Keep in mind that a crisis you determine to be unlikely simply because
it has never happened before can happen tomorrow. Both human nature
and mother nature are very unpredictable, so natural disasters (e.g.,
earthquakes, ﬂoods, and hurricanes) and human failures should be
expected to some degree.
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356
The Crisis Communications Plan
After rankings for probability and damage are made, bar graphs should
be made to clearly see and consider each crisis and compare it to others.
(Bar graphing can be done on various computer programs or by hand.)
At the base of each graph, write the name of each type of crisis. Plot the
height of each bar according to numbers attributed to each crisis in the
probability and damage rankings. Choose different colors or shadings for
probability bars and damage bars.
Company Z’s Crisis Inventory
5
4
3
2
1
0
Workplace
violence
Fire
Protest
demonstrations
= Damage
Negative
legislation
Tax
problems
= Probability
Figure 14.1 A sample bar graph showing how an organization might assess the
probability of, and degrees of damage resulting from, various types
of crises.
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The Crisis Communications Plan
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When Company Z plots its data on a bar graph, it resembles Figure
14.1. Considering Company Z’s graph, we see that the probability and
seriousness of a crisis relating to tax problems is not as crucial as in the
other crises. This does not mean that a crisis plan is not important for
tax problems; it’s just not as important as for other issues, and not a
priority.
According to the graph, the possibility of Company Z’s suffering a crisis
resulting from negative legislation is likely, though not particularly critical.
On the other hand, protest demonstrations are critical, although not very
likely. Workplace violence and ﬁre seem both likely and critical.
Most organizations plan for crises ranked high in both probability and
damage. In this case, Company Z would probably develop crisis management and communications plans for workplace violence ﬁrst, then for the
other crises in descending order of importance: ﬁre, protest demonstrations, negative legislation, and tax problems.
Sometimes organizations make crisis plans for the most devastating
crises no matter how probable or improbable they may be. In this case,
Company Z would develop plans for workplace violence ﬁrst, followed
by protest demonstrations, then ﬁre. Naturally, a version of Murphy’s
Law can be expected: That crisis for which you have no plan will likely
happen. However, you will ﬁnd that any plan, and the process of
developing that plan, will make you more prepared for crises generally.
Some organizations, having several crises classiﬁed with similar rankings
in all categories, make general crisis communications plans with detailed
information for all types of crises, although sometimes the detailed
information is omitted.
Many companies, fearing all possibilities of crises equally, merely adopt
a policy of “open and honest response” with the media and all publics,
and plan to be in a total reactive mode during a crisis.
The importance of the crisis inventory is to force organizations to think
about the possibilities. Sometimes the most ridiculous crisis occurs,
something no one in the company could predict. Pepsi probably never
dreamed that it would have a crisis about hypodermic syringes in its cans.
On the other hand, Foodmaker and Jack-in-the-Box could certainly have
anticipated children dying from eating hamburgers, and Exxon could
have anticipated a devastating oil spill.
The ranking procedure may introduce ideas for prevention programs.
You also may realize that your organization is more vulnerable than you
anticipated.
Considering that the toll of stress and emotion during a crisis necessarily
affects one’s thought processes, a carefully developed crisis communications plan is the best substitute for a fully functioning brain. Even if you
remain cool and calm under pressure, others in the company may not.
The crisis communications plan alleviates this problem, too.
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358
The Crisis Communications Plan
Developing the Crisis Communications Plan
Once likely crises have been identiﬁed, the crisis communications plan
can be written. A crisis communications plan can be part of a larger crisis
management plan (CMP) or it may be a stand-alone document to help
public relations practitioners handle crises more effectively.
The CMP includes information such as evacuation procedures, emergency stafﬁng of various departments of a company, and places to
purchase or rent emergency equipment, tools, or vehicles—all the things
a company may need in a crisis.
Public relations during a crisis focuses on communications with the
company’s publics during the crisis—for the most part, the same publics
to which normal PR activities are directed.
The CMP is sometimes a large volume of instructions, whereas a crisis
communications plan should be a more manageable, easier-to-read
document. After a crisis has erupted, employees are likely to look at a
large volume and say, “We don’t have time to read this now,” and then
proceed to handle the crisis by “winging” it. The crisis communications
plan should be organized in such a way that the practitioners can quickly
turn to each section. Some professionals use tabs in a notebook; others
use a table of contents. Keeping the crisis communications plan on a
computer can be dangerous because many crises prevent access to ofﬁces
(ﬁre, earthquakes, explosives, etc.).
Many companies (such as Johnson & Johnson after the Tylenol crisis)
urge employees to keep copies of the plan in various key spots—the ofﬁce,
at home, near the night stand, or in the car. That way, the odds are good
that at least one copy will be readily available should a crisis or disaster
occur.
If a crisis inventory determines, for example, that there are three likely
crises, the organization should draft a crisis communications plan for each
type. A plan for an earthquake must be different from a plan for a product
failure. The publics may be different; the media may be different; the
message must be different.
The crisis communications plan states purposes, policies, and goals, then
assigns employees to various duties. It generally makes communication
with publics faster and more effective and should help end the crisis more
swiftly than without a plan.
When a crisis communications plan is ineffective, it is usually because
the type of crisis was not anticipated or because variables arose that were
not anticipated. For example, spokespersons or supplies may not be
available. The crisis communications plan sometimes fails because it is
outdated. Such plans should be updated regularly.
Even if unanticipated variables do arise, the crisis communications
plan should be more effective than having no plan at all. Still, it must
be remembered that a crisis communications plan is not a manual
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The Crisis Communications Plan
359
guaranteeing success, with everything done “by the book,” but rather a
guide that must be ﬂexible.
An effective crisis communications plan should have the following
components, arranged in an order that best suits the organization and the
particular crisis or disaster:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
cover page
introduction
acknowledgments
rehearsal dates
purpose and objectives
list of key publics
notifying publics
identifying the crisis communications team
crisis directory
identifying the media spokesperson
list of emergency personnel and local ofﬁcials
list of key media
spokespersons for related organizations
crisis communications control center
equipment and supplies
pregathered information
key messages
website
blogs and social media
trick questions
list of prodromes
list of related Internet URLs
evaluation form.
Cover Page
The cover page of a crisis communications plan is similar to the cover
page of a term paper. There are as many ways of doing one as there are
ways of doing crisis communications plans. It should include at least the
date when the plan was written as well as revision dates.
Introduction
The head of the company or organization usually writes the introduction
(or the PR practitioner ghostwrites it for the CEO with his or her
approval). The purpose of this component is to persuade employees to
take the crisis communications plan seriously. It stresses the necessity and
importance of the plan and it emphasizes the dire results possible when
a plan is not followed.
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360
The Crisis Communications Plan
Acknowledgments
This crisis communications plan component takes the form of an afﬁdavit
signed by all crisis personnel as well as by key executives, indicating that
they have read the plan and are prepared to put it into effect. The
signatures assure management that its personnel have read the plan.
Rehearsal Dates
Dates of rehearsals for all crises are recorded here. The most damaging
and most likely crises should be practiced at least annually if not every
six months. Rehearsal for any type of crisis is helpful even if an eventual
crisis turns out to be somewhat different.
Purpose and Objectives
The purpose statement details the organization’s policies toward its
publics. It might say, for example, “In a crisis, an open and honest
disclosure with the media shall be stressed.” The purpose is an expressed
hope for a recovery and return to normalcy, to get out of the media. The
objectives are responses to the question, “What do you hope to achieve
with this plan?” Objectives should not be overly ambitious in difﬁculty
or number. For example, a company may adopt the following goals:
1. To be seen in the media as a company that cares about its customers
and employees.
2. To make certain that all communications are accurate.
List of Key Publics
The key publics list should include all publics, both external and internal,
with which the organization must communicate during the crisis. The list
varies with organizations, but may include the following as well as others:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
board members
shareholders
ﬁnancial partners
investors
community leaders
customers
clients
suppliers
vendors
neighbors of physical plant(s)
competitors
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The Crisis Communications Plan
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
361
key management
employees
legal representation
media
union ofﬁcials
retirees
government ofﬁcials (city, state, county, federal).
Although all publics need not be notiﬁed in every crisis, the list of key
publics should be comprehensive. It is easier to eliminate unneeded publics
at the time of crisis than it is to think of all the crucial publics during the
stress of a crisis.
Publics fall into the following categories:
•
•
•
•
Enabling publics—those people with the power and authority to
make decisions: the board of directors, shareholders, investors, and
key executives. Notifying enabling publics is a priority.
Functional publics—the people who actually make the organization
work: employees, unions, suppliers, vendors, consumers, and volunteers in the case of non-proﬁt organizations.
Normative publics—those people who share values with the organization in crises: trade associations, professional organizations, and
competitors.
Diffused publics—those people linked indirectly to the organization
in crisis: the media, community groups, and neighbors of the physical
plant.
Notifying Publics
To notify publics, a system must be devised for contacting each public,
and that system should be described in the crisis communications plan.
Social media networks such as Facebook groups can be used if people use
computers constantly. For internal publics, many companies use a chain
procedure, such as a telephone tree, in which each person is speciﬁcally
designated to call others. The person who learns about the crisis ﬁrst
notiﬁes the CEO, the head of public relations, and the head of the
department that may be involved. The chain should be clear and errorfree, even in the event that certain individuals are not reached.
An appropriate means of notiﬁcation must be decided on for each
public. A news release, for example, is appropriate primarily for the news
media, not for other publics.
Board members are often reached by telephone or fax. Email or other
computerized communications are also used. The media can be notiﬁed
by way of telephone, wire service, fax, press conference, email, or news
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362
The Crisis Communications Plan
release. Other methods used for notifying publics include telegrams,
personal visits, letters, advertisements, bulletin boards, and meetings (see
Figure 14.2).
Identifying the Crisis Communications Team
The crisis communications team members, along with backups, should
be preselected. The team manager is usually, but not always, the head of
public relations. He or she has speciﬁc responsibilities: communicating
with top management, making decisions, drafting or approving major
statements, and notifying the rest of the crisis communications team.
The assistant crisis manager assumes responsibility when the manager
is unavailable (a second backup may be beneﬁcial, if possible). The control
room coordinator sets up the room with necessary furniture, equipment,
supplies, and tools. An efﬁcient executive assistant can be appointed for
this position.
Other PR personnel have the responsibilities of preparing news releases
and statements, contacting the media, and reporting all actions to the
YOUR
COMPANY
MESSAGE: There has been an explosion in the plant. There are injured employees. We do not know, at this time,
the cause of the explosion or the extent of the injuries of the employees. An investigation is underway.
Methods of Communication
TELEPHONE
EMPLOYEES
EXECUTIVES
P
U
B
L
I
C
S
EMAIL
LETTER BY
MESSENGER
*Nelson J.
BULLETIN
BOARD
*J. Naas
*J. Naas
PERSONAL
VISIT
NEWS
RELEASE
*Nelson J.
M. Yerima
MEETINGS
*Nelson J.
*Damien L.
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
*Nelson J.
ELECTRONIC
MEDIA
*K. Stone
DAILY
NEWSPAPERS
*Gina A.
COMMUNITY
LEADERS
NEWSLETTER
*Nelson J.
CUSTOMERS
SHARE
HOLDERS
LETTER
BY MAIL
* J. Naas
*Damien L.
*Gina A.
*K. Sone
*Gina A.
*Gina A.
WEEKLY
NEWSPAPERS
*Staff member
responsible for
communications
and followup
FAX
*Gina A.
*Ann C.
*Damien L.
*Ann C.
*Karen N.
*Karen N.
Figure 14.2 A sample chart showing how an organization might plan to communicate
with key publics during a crisis. It includes key talking points and ways of
communicating. The lists of publics and types of communication can be
longer, shorter, or otherwise different depending on the organization’s
needs.
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The Crisis Communications Plan
363
crisis communications manager. These people may notify employees or
volunteers through letters or by writing telegrams to the mayor and
governor, by telephoning union ofﬁcials and others, and so forth.
Crisis Directory
The company should prepare a crisis directory, listing all members of the
crisis team, key managers in the company, and key publics or organizations, along with titles, business and home telephone numbers, cellular
phone numbers, fax and email addresses, as well as business, home, and
vacation addresses. It is also helpful to list the phone numbers of friends,
neighbors, and relatives who are frequently in contact with persons crucial
to the crisis recovery.
The crisis team should be large enough to get the job done, but no
larger. Having too many people involved makes it difﬁcult to get tasks
completed and decisions made. There is no time in a crisis for egos;
each person must be a team player. It is also preferable that crisis team
members be generally healthy and capable of working under stress. They
should be reliable professionals, whether gofers, interns, or assistants.
Identifying the Media Spokesperson
The media spokesperson must be selected carefully. To the public, this
person is the company or organization.
Actually, sometimes several persons are spokespersons. This is an
arguable point in the public relations profession. Some argue for one
spokesperson per crisis, usually the CEO. Others argue for several spokespersons, depending on area of expertise. Clearly, the decision is a matter
of what suits the company and type of crisis best.
Even if the CEO is an effective spokesperson, he or she may not be
particularly knowledgeable about a technical aspect of the crisis. For
example, during an oil spill, the company CEO is not the only important
spokesperson; also needed is a person qualiﬁed to talk about what will
be necessary for the cleanup. Frequently, university professors are called
on for their speciﬁc knowledge about technical aspects of a crisis and for
their credibility.
Another school of thought is that CEOs have no credibility because
they have too much to lose. However, if lives are lost or in danger—
including the lives of animals—most professionals agree that the company
head must be the chief spokesperson.
In all cases, at least one, and preferably two or three, backup spokespersons should be preselected in case the preferred person is unavailable
at the time of the crisis. Crises can occur when people are on vacation,
on business trips, or sick with the ﬂu. When the 1989 San Francisco
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364
The Crisis Communications Plan
earthquake struck, for example, the ﬁrst two designated spokespersons
for the Paciﬁc Gas and Electric Company were at the World Series game
at Candlestick Park. The third spokesperson on the list was called and
pressed into service.
An effective crisis spokesperson must have some position in the
company. It is usually not the PR head, even if the PR person is normally
the company’s spokesperson. The spokesperson must also be articulate,
powerful enough to make decisions, accessible throughout the crisis, able
to talk clearly in concise sound bites, and pleasant to the eye of a camera.
Moreover, the spokesperson in a crisis must appear rational, concerned,
and empathetic. He or she should be pretrained, rehearsed well in advance
of the crisis, and briefed prior to the crisis response. The organization’s
legal adviser should be consulted before statements are made.
If the public relations department is a small or one-person operation,
it may be beneﬁcial to have capable, trustworthy volunteers to perform
some tasks. Outside public relations ﬁrms that specialize in crisis planning
and handling might be used. A non-proﬁt organization can often get PR
ﬁrms to help pro bono (done or donated without charge). Many non-proﬁt
organizations have PR practitioners on their boards of directors,
anticipating the need for their assistance during a crisis.
At times, one person may be required to perform all communications
roles. On the other hand, in large companies several people may perform
each role.
List of Emergency Personnel and Local Officials
If the crisis is a disaster or emergency, various emergency personnel need
to be contacted. A list should be made of contact numbers for police, ﬁre
ofﬁcials, hospitals, the health department, utilities, and paramedics.
If the crisis affects large numbers of people or is a threat to the safety
of people, government ofﬁcials must be contacted. This list should include
contact information for the mayor, governor, city council members,
county ofﬁcials, state legislators, and U.S. senators and representatives.
Sometimes union ofﬁcials must be notiﬁed, and they should therefore
be listed, as well as key citizens groups and community organizations.
List of Key Media
After key executives are called, the media are the next most important
public to notify about the crisis. A list of media contacts—newspapers,
television, radio, wire services—should be completed and listed in order
of importance. If particular editors or reporters are important to telling
the story to the organization’s beneﬁt, a list of their home numbers and
emergency numbers will be advantageous.
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The Crisis Communications Plan
365
The media list should contain contact information for metropolitan
dailies, certain weeklies, all TV news stations, the Associated Press, news
networks, Reuters, all radio news stations, trade publications, and other
relevant outlets.
Spokespersons for Related Organizations
If an organization suffers a severe crisis, there may be spokespersons
outside the organization who may be questioned. It may be effective to
make a list of who these people might be and how to contact them at any
time of day. It also might be effective to meet with them so that they are
familiar with your company, with how you will handle a crisis, if it
occurs, and with how to reach you.
Sometimes other spokespersons have information you don’t have. This
information may help you communicate more effectively. So you need to
be able to reach them. Because most people have cell phones, this could
be a simple task.
Crisis Communications Control Center
The location of the crisis communications control center must be
determined in case regular ofﬁce space is unavailable. After disasters and
emergencies, ofﬁces are often damaged, without power, or inaccessible.
Several possible sites should be listed in the crisis communications plan,
as well as the persons instrumental in gaining access to these locations.
Suppose, for example, a local church has offered its conference room.
Who gave permission to use the room? Who can unlock the doors of
the church and conference room? Does the permission include use
of electrical outlets and furniture? Does the site have adequate space for
the media to work?
Equipment and Supplies
Determine and list all of the equipment and supplies needed by the crisis
team, media, and visiting publics. The list could include, but is not limited
to, the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
chairs and desks
bulletin boards
ﬂip charts and chalkboards
computers or typewriters (perhaps manual typewriters in case power
is a problem)
computer printers
telephones and cellular phones
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366
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Crisis Communications Plan
battery-powered televisions and radios
maps of the plant or crisis area
battery-powered ﬂashlights and lamps
police radios
walkie-talkies
company letterhead, pens, and pencils
telephone directories
contact lists and media directories
press kits
CMPs and crisis communications plans
street and highway maps
food and beverages
copying machine(s)
ﬁrst-aid kits
cameras and ﬁlm
extension cords and generator power packs.
Pregathered Information
Prepare and gather various documents that may possibly be needed during
a crisis. Keep identical sets of documents in various locales to ensure
availability. The types of documents that can be gathered in advance
include safety records and procedures, annual reports, photos, company
backgrounders, executive biographies, company maps, branch ofﬁce
locations, quality control procedures, product manufacturing procedures,
and company fact sheets (including such data as numbers of employees,
products manufactured, and markets served).
Skeletal news releases can be prepared as long as the PR practitioner
anticipates the type of crisis and can make a statement on behalf of the
company. As shown in Figure 14.3, a news release can be written in
advance with blank spaces left for data to be ﬁlled in (such as the
magnitude of the crisis and relevant dates and names).
Key Messages
Under the stress of a crisis, it is easy to forget, or at least fail to state
properly, the main points you want to convey to publics or to a speciﬁc
public. Even when there is no crisis, experienced spokespersons prepare
in advance the primary information they want emphasized in what are
called key messages or speaking points.
The act of preparing key messages will help you organize your thoughts
and will provide consistent information to publics. Each message must
be accurate, brief, easy to use in a quote, and memorable. The spokesperson must be easily able to work the key message into responses to
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The Crisis Communications Plan
367
questions. Such messages also help reporters—who are looking for great
quotes—to do their jobs.
Effective key messages help avoid misquoting, enable the spokesperson
to tell his or her side of the story, and give the spokesperson a way to
answer trick questions comfortably. Most of all, they establish credibility
for the organization in crisis.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Date _______________________
Contact: ________________________________________________
(name/phone number)
_____________________________________ (name of celebrity) DIES
(SEATTLE) ________ (full name and title) ______________________ died
today of _____________________ (cause of death) at __________ (time
of death) ________________ at Swedish Hospital Medical Center in Seattle.
He/She was ______ (age).
Further details will be released by ________________ (name of person to
make announcement—family member or professional contact) at a news
conference scheduled for _____________________ (time of news
conference), at Swedish Hospital, Glaser Auditorium, 747 Summit Ave.
# # #
Figure 14.3 A sample fill-in-the-blanks news release.
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368
The Crisis Communications Plan
Website
Placing news on the organization’s website and pre-appointing webmasters to keep updated information on the site will reduce both the
number of phone calls from publics and the amount of time put into crisis
recovery. The news put on the site should be brief or detailed depending
on the nature of the crisis. In the event of an airplane crash, for example,
the airline’s website would, at ﬁrst, merely acknowledge the crash. After
families of victims are notiﬁed, the names of victims would be listed.
Regular notices of progress in the investigation would also be posted.
The concern of the company should be expressed and prominently
displayed. A statement from the highest executive in the company is
expected by the public. The website is an ideal venue for keeping safety
rules, security precautions, and health policies posted. Restaurants might
keep information posted on training new employees about cooking
burgers at the proper temperature, using gloves when handling food, and
policies that discourage employees with colds and other infectious diseases
from working with food products.
The website is also a bulletin board for informing publics of the
organization’s community relations projects and other activities that give
back to the public. The website can afford your organization the
opportunity to be a Model 4, two-way symmetric company (see Chapter
2). It can encourage feedback, comments, and questions from publics and
provide publics with responses and explanations. Finally, the website can
reveal how the company is making changes as a result of public comment.
Blogs and Social Media
Monitoring blogs and social media channels is crucial. Sometimes the
monitoring can be a prodrome (warning sign) and help prevent a crisis.
The crisis communications plan should have a list of all blogs and social
media networks relevant to the business and relevant to the types of
crises. This can be an excellent way of achieving Model 4, two-way
symmetrical communications with publics (see “Excellence Theory” in
Chapter 2, “Crisis Communicatios Theory,” pages 21–27).
It is advisable, if social media are used proactively in marketing and
public relations campaigning, that they would also be used in the crisis
communications plan. Facebook friends and other contacts with whom
the organization has built a relationship will spread the news to a wider
group of people. For Twitter, prepare key messages in advance when
communicators have time to work with the 140 characters. Make this list
of key messages separate from the key messages going to the traditional
news media but with the same sentiment.
Do not drop traditional news media in order to spend time with social
media unless the crisis relates only to online issues and online publics.
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The Crisis Communications Plan
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Crises originating on social media should indeed be battled on social
media and sometimes on traditional media. Similarly, crises not related
to social media networks might also be fought through social media as
well as traditional media.
For example, in 1993, the Pepsi Cola company experienced a crisis
brought on by consumers who placed hypodermic syringes in cans and
charged they found them there when they purchased them. The fear
supposedly was that the syringes would cause HIV/AIDS, but actually the
greedy consumers were hoping to get payoffs from Pepsi. Pepsi ended the
crisis when it showed on television newscasts the following: (1)
surveillance camera b-roll of a grocery store patron placing a syringe in
a can; and (2) the canning process that showed how virtually impossible
it would be for the syringes to have been placed in the cans at the plant.
Today, in addition to television news, the visual pictures could have been
shown via YouTube.
An e-blast might be sent to publics who subscribe to the organization’s
email list. However, e-blasts are being used less than in previous years as
communicators employ other methods.
Trick Questions
When a crisis occurs, what questions can you predict the news media will
ask a spokesperson? Check Chapter 4 for types of trick questions.
Reporters may not ask certain questions intentionally to trick the
spokesperson, but the end result—if a question is not answered carefully—
can make the spokesperson and his or her organization look bad.
A spokesperson for a restaurant, for example, might be asked the
following trick questions:
1. Off the record, didn’t you know this might happen?
2. If the ﬁre happened during the lunch hour, how many people might
have been killed?
3. Don’t you buy your ground beef from the meatpacker who sold bad
meat to the other restaurant?
4. As at most popular restaurants, the work here is very fast-paced and
stressful, right?
List of Prodromes
Prodromes are the warning signs that a crisis may occur. List these in the
crisis communications plan. If any of the prodromes have actually
happened, log into the plan what the company did in response and when.
This helps the spokesperson answer the media question, “Did you have
any warning that this might happen?”
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370
The Crisis Communications Plan
As an example of a prodrome, consider the normally good employee
who is unusually tardy and seems stressed out and irritable. Management
notices the problem and gets help for the employee. Or take another
example, several near-accidents in the organization’s parking lot. Management takes notice, determines that the parking lot has confusing
directional signs, and has the signs redone.
Heeding prodromes carefully can often prevent a crisis and help show
that the organization is concerned with resolving problems. The prodromes section of the crisis communications plan should be regularly
updated.
List of Related Internet URLs
List the URLs of organizations and companies that may have information
you need during a crisis. Also include brief descriptions of the data
available at the URLs. For example, a restaurant might list the URLs for
the National Center for Infectious Diseases, the state department of health,
the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control.
Evaluation Form
Evaluation is a crucial step in preparing an effective crisis communications plan. As assessment, it is helpful in determining what did and
did not work. It also helps plan for, prevent, and cope with future crises
by pointing out what needs to be revised in the crisis communications
plan.
An evaluation form should be developed and placed at the end of
the crisis communications plan for later distribution to internal publics
for input. An environment where suggestions are made freely will add to
the effectiveness of the evaluation and the crisis communications plan.
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Appendix A
Generic Crisis Communications
Plan for a Large Company
Contents
Deﬁnitions
Communication Objective
Roles and Responsibilities
Notiﬁcation of a Crisis
Communications Procedure for Handling a Minor Crisis
Communications Procedure for Handling a Major Crisis
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Activation
Identiﬁcation of a Spokesperson
Guidelines for Spokespeople
Format for Brieﬁng Someone Identiﬁed as a Spokesperson for Interviews/
News Brieﬁngs
News Release
—
—
—
—
—
Circumstances that may require a news release
Writing an initial statement for release
Information appropriate for release
Information that is not appropriate for release
Writing a news release
Messages for the News Media during Environmental Crises
— Publics during a Crisis
How People Receive Information during a Crisis
Tools to Use during a Crisis
—
—
—
—
—
Incident information sheet
Telephone log sheet
Example of initial statement for release
Checklist for establishing a news conference center
Crisis contacts
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Definitions
Crisis
A crisis is an unplanned event that directly or potentially threatens our
company’s reputations; the environment; the health, safety, or welfare of
employees; and the health, safety, or welfare of citizens in communities
surrounding our plants.
Events that fall into this category include: ﬁres, explosions, bomb threats,
civil disturbances, equipment malfunctions, environmental impacts,
widespread illness, hazardous material spills, and other types of incidents.
Minor Crisis
A minor crisis is conﬁned to a limited area of a building; results in
minimal, if any, disruption of operations; is quickly brought under control;
does not require evacuation other than of a few employees in the
immediate vicinity; and causes a minor injury or none at all. Media
inquiry is possible with events in this category but apt to be minimal.
Major Crisis
A major crisis may involve signiﬁcant injury or loss of life, prolonged
disruption of normal operations, substantial property damage, or a
signiﬁcant environmental impact—or holds potential for any of these.
Media inquiry is more likely to occur with events in this category,
especially if other municipal emergency response groups have been called
in for assistance.
Communication Objectives
In the event of a minor or major incident on any of our sites, every effort
will be made to communicate as appropriate to employees, management,
surrounding communities, other target publics, and the news media
promptly and accurately. The appropriate division of communications
staff will be the primary information source available to the news media.
When a crisis occurs, it is necessary for communications personnel to
gather facts and data quickly, including the nature of our response to the
crisis. The following communication efforts will strive to alleviate
employees’ concerns, minimize speculation by the media, and ensure that
our position is presented.
It should be noted, though, that many incidents occur that are relatively
minor in nature and are consequently not covered by the media.
Nevertheless, it is essential to gather facts about the incidents and have
them available to communicate, if necessary, to appropriate audiences.
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373
The nature of that communication is outlined in the following plan.
Crisis Communications Team
Each site’s Crisis Team (at the various sites) is responsible for the following: identifying, conﬁrming, investigating crises; developing strategies for
managing crises; and developing strategies for recovering from crisis
incidents.
As members of the Crisis Team, communications personnel will:
•
•
•
•
provide a representative at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
if activated;
control the release of information to employees, surrounding communities, and to the news media;
maintain contact with media representatives;
establish and maintain a news conference center, if necessary.
Two, and in some cases, three communicators may be required for
adequate crisis communications response. Those communicators will
function in the following roles: Public Relations (PR) Lead, Incident
Command (IC) Interface, and PR Backup.
The responsibilities for each communication role are outlined as
follows:
•
•
•
PR Lead
— received initial notiﬁcation
— designates staff member as IC Interface
— designates staff member as PR Backup (if necessary)
— receives initial facts and updates from IC Interface
— prepares initial statement for release
— ﬁelds media inquiries to ofﬁce
— briefs executive identiﬁed as spokesperson
— joins EOC team, if activated
— provides updates to senior executives
IC Interface
— joins IC team
— gathers and documents facts as they become known
— shares initial facts and updates with PR lead in main ofﬁce
— prepares initial statement for release (if necessary)
— briefs affected organization management and employees
— ﬁelds media inquiries (if necessary)
PR backup
— updates corporate personnel as necessary
— ﬁelds additional media inquiries to ofﬁce
— ﬁelds employee inquiries to ofﬁce
— conducts in-ﬁeld interviews with media (if necessary)
— sets up media conference room (if necessary)
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Appendix A
Notification of a Crisis
Notiﬁcation is an extremely important process in managing crises and
sending the right messages to all audiences. When notiﬁcation goes well,
it makes the rest of the crisis communications job more streamlined and
effective than when it doesn’t.
Notiﬁcation of incidents and crises (both major and minor) have been
examined by an Ad Hoc Committee to the Corporate Crisis Committee
for the past year. Members of this Ad Hoc Committee included PR/
Communications, Fire and Security, Facilities, and Emergency Response
Coordinators.
This committee has reviewed the entire notiﬁcation process from the
moment a crisis begins to the point that a crisis warrants informing senior
corporate executives, including the chief executive ofﬁcer. This committee
has endeavored to determine the most reliable notiﬁcation process for each
site Crisis Committee to use.
Notification Process in Brief
Notiﬁcation is initiated from the area where a crisis has occurred or been
identiﬁed. The person who discovers the crisis or incident calls the site
emergency number, which is connected to the site Fire Station Dispatch
ofﬁce. A senior Fire Ofﬁcer is then dispatched to the incident site, evaluates
the magnitude of the crisis, and then contacts the Fire Dispatch to notify
additional emergency response organizations. From that point on,
notiﬁcation occurs according to deﬁned call lists and through chain-ofcommand channels.
Site Communications personnel are now notiﬁed directly by the
respective site Fire Dispatchers. Once that initial notiﬁcation occurs, the
Communications representative receiving the call should, in turn, notify
Corporate PR ofﬁces and the company switchboard operators as soon as
he/she obtains information about the incident, and then follow the
procedure noted.
Communications Procedure for Handling a
Minor Crisis
Minor Crisis
1. Division Communications receives notiﬁcation from the Fire
Dispatcher and compiles the basic facts and chronology of the event
(possibly using an Incident Information Sheet).
2. Division Communications representative becomes the PR Lead and
informs other communications team members.
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Appendix A
375
3. PR Lead determines if more information is necessary and if a
communicator should be dispatched to incident site (IC Interface).
4. PR Lead calls Incident Commander (this is usually the senior Fire
Ofﬁcer at the incident site).
5. PR Lead notes more details about the incident (type of incident, when
and where the incident occurred, chemical involved and potential
chemical reactions, emergency response personnel on site, number of
employees evacuated, any injuries, work performed in the building,
what is being done to mitigate the incident, and who the appropriate
contacts are and how to reach them).
6. On-hours, PR Lead notiﬁes and confers with PR Manager (or
backup). Off-hours or on weekends, PR Lead notiﬁes and confers with
PR Manager and PR Duty Ofﬁcer when practical. If the PR Lead
determines that the off-hour incident is likely to generate media
inquiries, such notiﬁcation must be made immediately. The PR Duty
Ofﬁcer should notify the Switchboard Operators (555–1000) and tell
them to direct media inquiries to the person serving as PR Lead.
7. PR Lead and PR Manager agree to key messages and response to
query statement.
8. PR Lead or PR Manager notiﬁes Corporate PR Manager.
9. PR Lead prepares response to query statement, confers with division
management, and obtains approval on statement.
10. PR Lead sends statement via fax to PR Manager and to Corporate
PR Manager.
11. PR Lead serves as prime contact for media. PR Manager and
Corporate PR Manager serve as backups.
12. PR Lead ﬁelds media inquiries and makes follow-up calls to media if
necessary.
Communications Procedure for Handling a
Major Crisis
Major Crisis
1. Division Communications receives notiﬁcation from the Fire Dispatcher and compiles the basic facts and chronology of the event
(possibly using an Incident Information Sheet).
2. Division Communications representative becomes the PR Lead and
informs other communications team members.
3. PR Lead determines if more information is necessary and if a
communicator (IC Interface) should be dispatched to incident site to
obtain ﬁrsthand information. PR Lead also designates another person
as PR Backup, if necessary.
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Appendix A
4. IC Interface goes to site and obtains details from Incident Commander
(type of incident, when and where the incident occurred, chemical
involved and potential chemical reactions, emergency response
personnel on site, number of employees evacuated, any injuries, work
performed in the building, what is being done to mitigate the incident,
and who the appropriate contacts are and how to reach them).
5. IC Interface calls PR Lead via cellular phone with details of incident.
IC Interface should also continue to provide updates to PR Lead
every 15–30 minutes or as circumstances change.
6. On-hours, PR Lead immediately notiﬁes and confers with PR
Manager (or backup). Off-hours or on weekends, PR Lead immediately notiﬁes and confers with PR Manager and also notiﬁes the
PR Duty Ofﬁcer. The PR Duty Ofﬁcer should notify the Switchboard
Operators (555–1000) and tell them to direct media inquiries to the
person serving as PR Lead.
7. PR Lead and PR Manager agree to key messages and response to
query statement.
8. PR Lead or PR Manager notiﬁes Corporate PR Manager.
9. PR Lead prepares response to query statement, confers with division
management, and obtains approval on statement.
10. PR Lead sends statement via fax to PR Manager and to Corporate
PR Manager.
11. PR Manager informs PR Operations Manager and PR-VP (or acting
PR chief) to review the incident, determine the need for additional
on-site support, and decide whether the PR news bureau should be
opened if it is after working hours. PR-VP decides at this point if
executives need to be notiﬁed.
12. PR Lead or PR Manager informs Internal Communications Manager
who ensures that appropriate internal communications staff will work
closely with division communications personnel in collecting data for
a timely report to employees.
13. PR Lead and PR Backup serve as prime contacts for media. PR
Manager and Corporate PR Manager serve as backups.
14. PR Lead determines if on-site media center is needed and designates
PR Backup to set one up.
15. PR Lead continues to receive information from IC Interface and
updates statements accordingly.
16. PR Lead, in turn, provides updates to PR Manager and PR Corporate
Manager.
17. PR Lead, PR Manager, and PR Operations Manager confer on
whether a press release is needed. If so, PR Lead writes the release,
clears it with division management and PR Manager. PR Manager
clears release with PR Operations Manager, PR-VP, and other senior
ofﬁcials as required.
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377
18. PR Manager and/or Division PR Lead develop report analyzing
communications aspects of the incident and lessons learned. Report
is distributed to PR Operations Manager and PR-VP, Division
Communications staff, and Corporate PR Manager.
EOC (Emergency Operations Center)
Activation
An Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is a centralized location from
which emergency response during a very severe crisis is coordinated and
directed. A crisis that would force the site EOC to be engaged would be
an earthquake or other incident (an act of terrorism) that causes multiple
crises at once. Senior emergency preparedness personnel in the company
contend that site EOCs along with the Corporate EOC would not be fully
activated for a minimum of 2 to 3 hours after the devastating event (i.e.,
ﬁrst tremors during an earthquake).
If the site EOC is engaged, all crisis communications would be directed
from that point. For adequate communication response, it is recommended that two communicators should be assigned to the center. One
communicator would serve as the Communications Manager, who is
responsible for coordinating external and internal communications, which
may include the use of a runner system, in the event all electronic means
of communications are out. The other communicator would serve as the
Information Ofﬁcer, responsible for documenting the sequence of events
in support of communications and then generating any statements for
release either internally or externally.
Each site EOC will be equipped with maps, stationery supplies, white
boards, ﬂip charts, viewfoil machines, telephones, and numerous other
supplies. It is recommended that communicators make sure the following
items are either stored in the EOC or are available nearby:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
pads and pencils
laptop computer
portable printer or some other printing device
fax machine
cellular phone(s)
radio(s)
Division Crisis Communications Plan.
The procedure for communications response should be consistent with
the procedure for handling a major crisis, the only difference being that
all communications would be directed from the EOC itself.
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Appendix A
Identification of a Spokesperson
After an initial assessment of an emergency, the Division General Manager
(or designee such as an outplant general manager) will identify the
appropriate spokesperson for the division.
Appropriate spokespeople for most divisions are as follows:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Division Vice President/General Manager
Plant General Manager (for other sites under division jurisdiction)
Division Health Manager
Division Environmental Manager
Division Safety Manager
Director of Facilities
Division Communications Manager
Public Relations Manager
Corporate Public Relations Manager.
All releases of information outside the division and company shall be
by or through the coordinated efforts of Division Communications,
Group, and/or Corporate public relations personnel (as noted in the
Communications Procedure for Handling Minor or Major Crises).
Whenever possible, encourage the various inquiring publics to consult
your organization’s website for the most up to date and accurate content.
All releases of information within the Division will be coordinated by
Division Communications personnel.
Guidelines for Spokespeople
1. Do not speculate. Always stick to the facts. A more in-depth
investigation is required to determine cause.
2. Focus on two or three key messages to communicate and repeat them
during the interview. Keep answers short and to the point. TV
reporters want “sound bites” of no more than 10 to 15 seconds. Try
to bridge to your key messages throughout the interview.
3. Use a technical expert. There is no substitute for knowledge. If the
questions are outside your area of expertise, ﬁnd an appropriate
technical spokesperson within the company.
4. Speak in simple, common terms. Avoid jargon.
5. Remain calm. Do not be intimidated into answering questions
prematurely. You may tell a reporter that you need to clarify an
important matter before you can answer questions.
6. Do not use negative language. Do not let reporters put words in your
mouth.
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379
7. Consider human safety ﬁrst. When human safety or other serious
concerns are involved, deal with those considerations ﬁrst. You can
admit concern without admitting culpability.
8. Do not answer questions you do not understand. Ask for clariﬁcation.
Occasionally, this can be used to buy time to think.
9. Ignore cameras and microphones. Face the reporter. Don’t look away
or up at the sky. During videotaped interviews, it’s acceptable to stop
your statement and start over.
10. Make only “on the record” statements. There are no “off the record”
statements.
11. Avoid saying, “No comment.” If you don’t know an answer, say so,
then bridge to your messages.
Format for Briefing Someone Identified as a
Spokesperson for Interviews/News Briefings
Executives scheduled to talk to the media should be provided a
background brieﬁng in advance of the interview. This policy should be
followed even if the interview is only to be a brief telephone call.
The brieﬁng should include the following 11 items:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
date, time, and location of the interview;
name of the reporter;
name of the publication, wire service, station, and so on;
our experience with the reporter or publication—to help the executive
understand the degree of caution needed in this interview and to
prepare for the speciﬁc reporter’s approach;
subjects/issues/questions to be covered as requested by the reporter;
our position or recommended response and the data needed to discuss
these subjects;
top three to ﬁve messages we wish to make in the interview (not
necessarily based on the reporter’s suggested topics);
list of other executives to be interviewed during this visit, including
key topics and messages you suggest the other executives cover;
issues, if any, that the executive(s) should avoid, and recommendations on how to sidestep them;
background information/statistics that would be useful in preparing
for the interview;
proposed length of interview.
If possible, this background material should be conveyed in writing
so the executive(s) have a chance to review it carefully. Only under
exceptional circumstances should you rely on an oral brieﬁng.
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Appendix A
In critical situations, it is also useful to prepare a thorough set of
questions and answers to deﬁne the organization’s positions and to use
in rehearsing the executive.
News Release
During an emergency situation, it may be determined that a news release
should be distributed to the media. The purpose of the news release is
to convey written information on the incident and to avoid misinterpretation.
Circumstances that May Require a News Release
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
an accident, ﬁre, or explosion that results in serious injury, death, or
considerable property damage;
a health or environmental incident, or discovery of a health or
environmental hazard that may affect employees, the surrounding
community, or the environment;
a serious trafﬁc or air accident involving company vehicles, products,
and/or personnel;
sabotage, abduction or extortion, bomb threats, or acts of terrorism
involving company personnel, products, or property;
news of an incident that is likely to be known by employees or
circulated in the community and create misleading impressions;
news of an event that is unusual enough to cause concern to employees, nearby residents, or community ofﬁcials;
consistently misleading news reports.
Writing an Initial Statement for Release
Often, reporters will call before all the facts have been gathered. In such
an instance, a simple statement acknowledging the situation is useful. The
short statement avoids “no comment” and acknowledges that our
company recognizes the need to cooperate with the media.
Examples:
“Our company is responding to the situation (or name the emergency). We have trained and experienced people on-site working on the
situation.”
“Our ﬁrst priority is the safety of our employees and the public. We are
gathering information, and as soon as details become available, we will
inform the media through regular news conferences and updates to our
organization’s website.”
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381
Information Appropriate for Release
During an emergency situation, there will be information that is
appropriate to release to employees and to the media. Communications
personnel should do the following:
•
•
•
•
tell what happened: give a description of the emergency situation;
tell who is involved: Report how many employees were evacuated and
if any have been taken to the hospital for observation or due to
injury. Report when emergency team members and/or the various city
or county ﬁre departments and police arrived on the scene (if
applicable);
indicate where it occurred: give the street address of the scene of the
emergency;
identify when it happened: Give the time the incident began.
Information that is Not Appropriate for Release
Obviously, there will be a lot of information that is not appropriate for
release until more is known about the nature of the crisis response and
the extent of the impact.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Do not speculate on why the emergency occurred or what type of
hazardous materials are involved. Likewise, don’t make any statement
that blames any individual for the accident. (Although the cause of
the incident may appear obvious, it cannot be accurately determined
without an extensive investigation, nor can the blame be placed on
an individual without a thorough investigation.)
Do not include “off the record” information because there is no such
information.
Do not overreact to or exaggerate the situation. For instance, during
a hazardous material spill, a reporter may ask for the “worst case
scenario” of what could happen with the chemicals involved in the
accident. It is impossible to determine this until you have speciﬁc data
regarding the hazardous chemicals involved. Bridge back to facts and
messages.
Do not minimize the situation. Never regard an emergency as a minor
incident.
Do not release the names of injured individuals, unless Human
Resources have authorized it following conﬁrmation that the
victim(s)’ family(ies) have been notiﬁed.
Do not release dollar estimates concerning the extent of property
damage. Normally, there is no way to accurately determine this until
extensive studies have been conducted.
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382
•
Appendix A
Avoid the “no comment” response because it often leads the reporter
to speculate. If you don’t know the answer to a reporter’s question
or if you can’t discuss something, explain why in simple terms.
Writing a News Release
By following a few basic principles when writing news releases, our
company stands a better chance of having reporters use the information
with only minor changes. Remember to consult the legal department as
needed.
1. Tell the most important information in your lead paragraph. Your
“story” competes with other news and information, so the most
important point should be stated clearly in the ﬁrst paragraph.
2. Answer four of the ﬁve “Ws”—Who, What, Where, and When.
Explain what the emergency is. Identify who is involved in the
emergency as well as the material and equipment involved. Tell where
and when the emergency occurred. Explain what action we are taking
to mitigate or respond to the emergency. Do not explain why the event
occurred unless complete information is available.
3. Attribute information to a qualiﬁed source. A news release is useful
only if it conveys credible information.
4. Write remaining information in descending order of importance. If
the media cuts off the bottom of your story, they will cut information
that is least important to the public.
5. Explain technical points in simple language. A direct quote can add
the human element to otherwise technical information and help
explain a situation or event in layman’s terms. Tell the real story.
Avoid using language that is overly bureaucratic.
6. Be concise. A good news release is judged by the quality of
information it communicates, not by its length. Stop writing when
you’ve said all you need to say.
Messages for the News Media during
Environmental Crises
Mention of the following points during interviews may help the company
communicate its position on environmental issues.
•
•
•
Our primary concern is for the safety of our employees, the communities in which we operate, and the public.
We operate a state-of-the-art safety monitoring and control system
in our factories and laboratories.
We are prepared at all times to mitigate a chemical spill or leak.
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Appendix A
•
•
•
•
•
383
We work continuously to reduce our use of toxic chemicals in
manufacturing processes and to minimize waste.
Our standards for “worker hazardous materials safety exposure”
meet or exceed standards required by the U.S. Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA).
Our employees who work directly with hazardous materials receive
special training in handling the materials safely. It is a mandatory
requirement that employees attend such training.
The company conducts periodic audits of its hazardous materials
and hazardous waste installations, equipment, and operating procedures to ensure they comply with environmental regulations and
permits during normal and emergency conditions.
As in the past, the company will continue to work closely with state
and federal agencies to meet or exceed environmental regulations,
comply with test procedures, and report results to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Ecology (DoE).
Publics during a Crisis
To effectively communicate your message, it’s essential to understand who
your public or audience is and how you want your publics to react.
There are two key types of audiences during an emergency:
1. people directly affected by the emergency;
2. people whose attitudes about the company might be inﬂuenced by
information about the emergency.
These two types of publics are broken into seven categories. Public
Relations objectives in dealing with each of these publics are listed below:
•
•
•
Employees—We want employees to know that their safety is the
number one priority during an emergency. Employees need information regarding the emergency as soon as possible. This must be
accomplished in a manner that assures employees that the company
has their best interests at heart and that it can effectively handle
emergencies.
Community Residents—We want to quell any unnecessary fears. We
want the surrounding community residents to know that we take
quick, effective steps to protect the health and welfare of community
residents and the environment. This can be best accomplished by
responding quickly to community concerns and need for information.
Top Management—This group needs to be kept informed in the event
of an emergency as well as to be accessible as a resource if necessary.
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384
•
•
•
•
Appendix A
Government Ofﬁcials—Key members of this audience need to be
kept apprised of the emergency situation, as determined appropriate
by the Government Affairs Department.
Customers—Customers need to know that the company is concerned
about crises that impact its operating divisions and that may affect
production.
News Media—We want the news media to know that the company
is credible, concerned, and effective at dealing with emergencies, and
that we understand and meet the unique needs of each type of media.
Vendors, Contractors, and Suppliers—We want these audiences to
know that we operate state-of-the-art safety monitoring and control
systems in our factories and laboratories and that the company
takes quick, effective steps to protect the health and welfare of its
employees, vendors, and suppliers.
How People Receive Information during a Crisis
In order to determine the most effective ways of communicating during
an emergency, it’s important to consider how each key audience
potentially can receive information. The following sources of information
for each audience must be considered in communications strategy for each
emergency:
•
•
•
•
Employees
— direct knowledge of the event
— other employees
— intercom and phone systems
— managers
— electronic mail
— news media reports
— ﬁre department/police/hospital spokesperson
Community Residents
— direct knowledge of the event
— neighbors
— news media reports
Top Management
— Company Security, Communications/PR Manager
— personal call(s) from concerned employee(s)
— news media reports
Government Ofﬁcials
— Government Affairs
— news media reports
— concerned or scared citizen(s)
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Appendix A
•
•
385
News Media
— Public Relations representative
— police and/or ﬁre scanners
— other news media
— ﬁre department/police/hospital spokesperson
— eyewitnesses, including employees
— bystanders with knowledge or hearsay
— ﬁrsthand view of the situation
— outside “experts”
Vendors, Contractors, and Suppliers
— direct knowledge of the event
— employees and/or management
— news media reports.
Tools to Use during a Crisis
The following documents are recommended tools that each communications group can use or adapt to speciﬁc requirements. Note that a few
of the tools will deﬁnitely have to be adapted, such as Site Map(s), Building
Facts and Figures, and phone lists for key emergency response contacts.
These tools can prove very useful for documenting information related
to incidents and for keeping track of media inquiries:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
emergency response contacts
key division directors/managers
key communications/PR contacts
incident information sheet
telephone log sheet
initial release
checklist for establishing a news conference center
maps of division plants
building facts and ﬁgures.
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386
Appendix A
INCIDENT INFORMATION SHEET
Complete using ink pen
Date: _______ Time: ________ Initial Report: ________ Update: ________
Describe the incident (i.e., hazardous material spill, equipment malfunction,
serious injury, bomb threat, fire, etc.):
Indicate when the incident occurred and when crisis personnel first
responded:
Describe which crisis groups are responding:
Indicate where the incident occurred (building number, column number, east
or west side of building, etc.):
Describe the work performed in the building(s) where incident occurred
(i.e., machining, office functions, mix of factory and office functions):
Estimate the number of employees evacuated:
Estimate the number of employees injured, nature of their injuries (to clarify
misleading reports), and where they are being examined/treated (i.e., onsite medical, local hospital):
Describe what is being done to mitigate the emergency:
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Appendix A
387
TELEPHONE LOG SHEET
Priority: ______________ Date: ______________ Time: ______________
Call received from:
Name _____________________________________________________
Organization ________________________________________________
Location ___________________________________________________
Message:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Call back by:
Date: _____________________________ Time: __________________
Notes:
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
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388
Appendix A
EXAMPLE OF INITIAL STATEMENT
FOR RELEASE
At approximately ___________ (time) today _______________ (date),
a ___________________________ (fire, explosion, etc.) occurred on the
______________________ site of the _____________________ Division.
Crisis Response personnel are now responding as well as ____________
_________________________________ (other support response groups
or local municipalities). Our company’s response groups include
(list appropriate groups such as fire and security officers,
medical doctors and nurses, safety personnel, industrial hygienists,
environmental engineers, etc.).
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Our major concerns are for the safety of our employees and the public
and to minimize environmental impact.
We are now involved in determining what has happened and what is
being done to mitigate the situation. As more details become available,
we will pass them on to the media.
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Appendix A
389
CHECKLIST FOR ESTABLISHING A
NEWS CONFERENCE CENTER
In a major emergency, it may be necessary to establish a news conference center.
This will be where the company can conduct briefings or news conferences, grant
interviews, and issue official statements.
Because time is of the essence during a crisis, communications teams should
designate certain locations as potential news conference centers and be prepared
to carry out the checklist before an incident occurs.
Preliminaries
1. Check for the best time with company spokesperson.
2. Notify media of time and location.
3. Compile list of names of reporters and editors who indicate they will attend.
4. Compile background information of interest to reporters.
5. Invite outside officials as appropriate.
6. Assign someone to handle the physical arrangements for the news conference.
• Video services to record event?
• Junction box for TV and radio mikes?
• Chairs, tables, podiums as required?
7. Brief staff on the subject, speaker(s), and schedule of events.
8. Prepare opening statement and review with lead speaker.
9. Review anticipated questions and answers with the speaker.
10. Check all sound equipment and tape recorders prior to the conference.
11. Place log sheet in conference room to obtain names and affiliations of attendees.
12. Place all news information and handout materials in conference room.
• new releases
• background information, such as fact sheets, maps, statistics, histories, and
biographical information
• copy of opening statement and other briefing materials
13. Escort the media to the conference room.
14. Use sign-in sheet.
15. Distribute background materials.
16. Have assigned staff member open the conference and establish the ground rules.
17. Monitor questions and answers closely. Make any necessary clarifications before
the end of the event.
Afterward/Follow-Up
18. Handle requests for follow-up information.
19. Monitor coverage received; contact any news organization that has an error
in its report.
20. At an appropriate time, when the crisis atmosphere has cleared, contact
reporters who attended and ask them what went well in terms of our handling
the event and what could have been improved.
The news conference center is synonymous with the crisis command center.
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390
Appendix A
Crisis Contacts
Office
Cellular
Fax
Home
Key Division Directors
Jennifer Jones (South)
Kourtney Johnson (North)
Rebecca Arnold (East)
Jeremy Kahlil (West)
555–0001
555–0121
555–2127
555–3122
C: 555–4892
C: 555–4241
C: 555–4101
C: 555–4801
555–8101
555–8294
555–8711
555–8222
555–9801
555–9123
555–9777
555–9554
Key Division Managers
Mary Bland (South)
John Jackson (South)
Sarah Yerima (North)
Jonathan Kyle (East)
Allison Millet (East)
Nicholas Michael (West)
555–0092
555–0013
555–1764
555–2809
555–2684
555–3093
C: 555–1121
C: 555–6101
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
555–8111
555–8221
555–8811
555–8611
555–8314
555–8781
555–9682
555–9319
555–9276
555–9211
555–9013
555–9901
Telephone Operators
Mary Jackson (Supervisor)
555–2999
N/A
555–8722
555–3994
Fire Dispatch
Adam Yerima
Duane Troy
555–8894
555–9075
C: 555–8676
C: 555–0328
555–9467
555–5541
555–9276
555–0101
Safety Manager
Ron Nelson
Julius Jones, Jr.
555–1112
555–3756
C: 555–3434
C: 555–4441
555–6875
555–1954
555–0841
555–2395
Medical
Ethan Floyd
Allyson Bernardino
Demetria Rudy
555–7864
555–9090
555–5642
C: 555–3321
C: 555–8341
C: 555–2390
555–7764
555–5603
555–6678
555–1346
555–7651
555–6431
Public Relations
Nelson Johnson II
Jerry Brown
555–7490
555–7456
C: 555–4431
C: 555–2210
555–5505
555–9898
555–6490
555–7069
Corporate Public Relations
Gina Arnold
555–8754
C: 555–7890
555–2479
555–0956
South
Regina Arnold
Blair Liggins
555–8754
555–0293
C: 555–7890
C: 555–7902
555–2479
555–2478
555–0956
555–9154
North
Kourtney Johnson
Myrtle Jenkins
555–0121
555–2123
C: 555–4241
C: 555–4545
555–8294
555–9045
555–9123
555–8456
East
Beleria Fulks
Amanda Johnson
555–2345
555–0789
C: 555–7690
C: 555–4680
555–3147
555–4896
555–9067
555–3558
West
Anne Burford
O. M. Thornton
Katie Marsh (Backup)
555–1212
555–9557
555–9057
C: 555–0097
C: 555–4502
N/A
555–7847
555–5575
555–0092
555–0321
555–3498
555–2664
These are fictional contacts. When area codes are needed, they should be listed, also
email addresses and text messaging when appropriate.
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Appendix B
Crisis Communications Plan
Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission
What is a Crisis?
A signiﬁcant event that threatens the Mission’s reputation, credibility or
ﬁnancial situation and that triggers the news media to investigate and
report on.
Often a crisis will be deﬁned in the way that staff respond and react to
media. Accurate and relevant information is the key to resolving any
public relations crisis. Impressions are locked-in an hour after the crisis
hits. First impressions are important! It is critical that you demonstrate
your caring about the people involved in the crisis and that you are
responsive to questions. Keep to the facts but try to humanize those facts
with story.
Examples:
Felonies/misdemeanors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sexual assault/molestation by a volunteer, staff, resident
Physical abuse allegations
Assault or murder
Any incidents dealing with a weapon
Criminal activity by guest, resident or staff
Criminal activity by someone outside the Mission but affects the
Mission
Issues surrounding domestic violence.
Disease/sickness
•
•
•
Spread of disease (e.g. Ebola, SARS, TB, swine ﬂu)
Food poisoning/E. coli on a mass scale
Infestation of bugs (bed bugs; cockroaches, etc).
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392
Appendix B
Complaints
•
•
•
•
•
Lawsuits that go public
Inquiries regarding mandatory chapel and Bible studies
Denial of services to an individual (who goes to media)
Child abandonment during ﬁeld trip
Fundraising abuse allegations.
Other
•
•
•
Fire/natural disaster
Suicide
Disgruntled employees or residents.
Notification Procedure
In the event of an emergency/crisis, the employee in charge must notify
THEIR program director AND the Mission’s Public Relations Manager
immediately with all the details of the situation.
STEP 1
•
•
•
Notify Program Directors and Public Relations Manager. If Public
Relations Manager isn’t available, then contact Chief Program Ofﬁcer
who will act as Public Relations Manager.
Public Relations Manager will gather facts from Mission staff about
the incident and inform human resources director to alert internal
audiences.
A media Spokesperson will be identiﬁed by the Public Relations
Manager in consultation with Senior staff if needed.
STEP 2
A. Program Directors Call and Instruct their Front Desk
Personnel
. . . on procedures to handle incoming calls about the crisis. The Public
Relations Manager will distribute talking points and contact information
to Program Directors.
FRONT DESKS
ADMINISTRATION
•
206.723.0767
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Appendix B
393
MEN’S SHELTER
•
206.622.5177
HOPE PLACE
•
206.628.2008
SERVE SEATTLE
•
206.322.6801
RIVERTON PLACE
•
206.242.5585
B. Public Relations Manager Notifies Mission’s
Executive Team
Responsibilities of Crisis Communications Team
•
•
•
•
Investigate and examine the crisis situation and disseminate information to the Public Relations Manager.
Answer phone calls from targeted audiences and take messages from
reporters who are calling so that the spokesperson can get back to
them in a timely manner.
Work with Public Relations Manager and Director of Marketing on
the development of messaging as information is obtained.
Monitor communication channels about incident. This will make
sure messaging is being perceived accurately to the crisis and minimize
rumors.
C. Crisis Procedure
1. Spokesperson is designated by President or Public Relations Manager.
2. Message development is determined by Public Relations Manager and
Director of Marketing. Messages will be deployed by marketing team
in all appropriate communication channels.
3. Public Relations Manager or the designated person will research and
obtain all pertinent information and distribute to their spokesperson,
executive staff, reporters, and work with marketing department
to add it to all Mission channels (Mission Web site, social media,
e-blasts, YouTube and all other communications to target audiences).
Purpose is to keep all target audiences updated on current information
so that accurate information is in the public and to help dispel rumors.
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394
Appendix B
4. Public Relations Manager and/or Director of Marketing will prepare
a statement/news release and get approval for its release.
5. UGM Video Specialist will videotape public statement from spokesperson. This video will be uploaded to Mission Web site, Facebook
and YouTube.
6. Determine accessibility vs. news conference route to inform media.
If accessibility is chosen, the Public Relations manager or a designated
Mission staff will make sure the media is escorted at all times.
7. Public Relations Manager and UGM marketing staff will continually
update target audiences and media on all new developments.
D. Targeted Audiences
Internal
1.
2.
3.
4.
Staff members
Board members
Volunteers
Residents/participants in programs.
External
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Donors
Media (including bloggers)
Facebook fans
General public
Vendors.
E. Guidelines for Handling Reporters
1. Refer all news inquiries to spokesperson(s) designated by Public
Relations Manager.
2. Do NOT volunteer an opinion or make a statement to any media
inquiries. “Off-the-top-of-my-head,” “they told me that,” etc. answers
are detrimental. State only factual information.
3. Make sure someone is monitoring the situation and escorting people
away from the incident and reporters. Reporters tend to want to talk
to people unofﬁcially and this is unadvisable.
4. Spokesperson obligations:
•
Respond immediately to media requests (helps prevent rumors
from starting).
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Appendix B
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
395
Be factual—only offer factual information you have at that time.
If the media asks a question and you do not know the answer,
tell them you’ll get back to them.
Offer empathy (if applicable) when speaking to the media,
especially when something tragic affects another individual.
Take responsibility on behalf of the Mission, if applicable. Do
not say “no comment” or “off the record”—say instead that the
Mission is looking into that matter and as soon as we can get an
answer, we’ll get back to you.
If you can’t answer the questions, explain why.
Don’t be evasive or misleading—make short factual statements.
Never speculate—just state the facts that are known at that
moment.
Don’t make light of incidents or accidents.
Don’t place blame—just state the facts that are known at that
moment.
Eliminate jargon—use simple words that everyone can understand.
Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
Provide evidence, if applicable.
Don’t give names of dead or injured until the family is notiﬁed.
Don’t offer any humor or off the cuff impressions.
F. After the Immediate Crisis Communications Consider
•
•
•
running a full-age ad, with a simple, heartfelt apology from the
president with his photo and his promise to make things work;
having Mission president contact people affected immediately;
putting apology, explanations in receipt stuffers; Web site; blog;
emails; editorials.
G. Follow-Up
1. Issue a ﬁnal statement regarding resolutions to prevent a reoccurrence
(if appropriate) to the media.
2. Public Relations Manager conduct a de-brief meeting to include senior
leadership, program staff affected, marketing, Mission spokesperson.
3. Compile a record of crisis and Mission’s response (i.e. include newspaper clippings, radio/TV reports and online networks).
4. Determine if and how the situation could have been dealt with in a
better fashion. Any personnel changes/actions needing to be made
immediately.
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Appendix C
Crisis Communications
Plan for a Fictitious
Small Business
UDUB Burger Drive-In’s Crisis Communications Plan
for E. coli and Hepatitis A
Crisis Communications Plan Team
Department of Communications
University of Washington
Professor Kathleen Fearn-Banks
Written March 10, 1999
Dana Anderson
Jennifer Boyeson
Sarah Doran
Meg Hemphill
Stacy Jaffe
Melissa Jones
Jaime Kennerud
David Masin
Alexandra Ootkin
Danielle Rosenow
Julie Sanders
Diva Sze
Revised May 25, 1999
Sarah Doran
Meg Hemphill
Melissa Jones
Jaime Kennerud
Danielle Rosenow
Revised February 6, 2006
Joel Bellazza
Tested: ______________
Revised and tested July 10, 2015
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398
Appendix C
Contents
Introduction: UDUB Burger’s Crisis Communications Plan
Acknowledgments
Statement from Management to Employees
Purposes
Objectives
Crisis Inventory and Results
Warning Signs of a Possible Crisis
Crisis Communications Checklist* (form in Student Workbook)
E. coli
Hepatitis A
Telephone log* (forms in Student Workbook)
Media Lists*
Local Television News Personnel
Local Radio News Personnel
Local Newspaper Personnel
Local Newswire Personnel
Public Relations Contacts
Online Outlets
List of Key Publics*
Internal
External
Crisis Communications Team Directory*
The Media Spokesperson
Criteria for Selecting
Interview Tips
Trick Questions
List of Emergency Personnel
Key Messages
E. coli
Hepatitis A
Evaluation of Plan Effectiveness after a Crisis
Methods of Communication
Pregathered Information
Generic News Release for E. coli
History of UDUB Burger Drive-In*
E. coli Fact Sheet
Hepatitis A Fact Sheet
Glossary of Food-Related Illnesses
Community Relations Programs*
Employee Relations
Employee Handbook*
Cooking Procedures*
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Appendix C
399
Advertising*
Photographs and Memories*
URLs for Food Poisoning
*Item is not included due to its personal nature.
Introduction: UDUB Burger’s Crisis
Communications Plan
Why is this Plan Important?
With the plethora of controversy and crisis surrounding the food industry,
particularly the fast-food industry, it is always advisable to be prepared
for any possible emergency that could damage our establishment. UDUB’s
hamburger stand has a good reputation among fast-food consumers in
Seattle, our target market, and we need to make sure that our reputation
is not damaged.
What Could Happen if the Plan is Not Followed?
If this crisis communications plan is not followed in the event of an
emergency, the company’s good name and reputation in the community
could be damaged, which may result in a loss of business. Because trust
and reliability are important to consumers, they must feel that they can
trust that a certain problem will not reoccur and that they are safe eating
at UDUB Burger Drive-In.
Has a Crisis Happened at UDUB Burger Before?
Fortunately, there have not been any reports of food poisoning from our
customers. However, we should always be prepared for this type of crisis
because it is a common problem in the fast-food industry.
Has a Crisis Happened to Similar Companies?
Yes. The E. coli outbreak that occurred at a Jack-in-the-Box in 1993 was
a warning to all fast-food organizations. That crisis, which had a negative
effect on the chain’s name and reputation, serves as a good example of
what not to do when dealing with the media in the midst of a crisis.
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400
Appendix C
Acknowledgments
By signing this statement, I verify that I have read this crisis communications plan and am prepared to put it into effect.
President and CEO
________________________________________________
(Signature and date)
Vice President and CFO
________________________________________________
(Signature and date)
Vice President
________________________________________________
(Signature and date)
Ofﬁce Manager
________________________________________________
(Signature and date)
Statement from Management to Employees
There are many high-risk factors surrounding the fast-food industry,
making it necessary for all food organizations to be ready for a potential
public crisis at any time. Our risks are heightened by the nature of our
industry: We provide quick and simple food service. Especially with meat,
there is a high risk of food poisoning if the meat is not cooked properly.
Because of these dangers, it is vital that UDUB Burger’s employees are
prepared to deal with the media and the public quickly and efﬁciently in
the event of a crisis.
We have worked for many years to build an impeccable reputation with
the public for providing clean, quick, and quality service and food to our
consumers. Because the most damaging scare in the food industry,
particularly with hamburgers, is food poisoning—particularly the E. coli
virus and hepatitis A—it is crucial that UDUB Burger be prepared for any
possible circumstances involving a patron of our restaurant becoming
ill from our food. As mentioned earlier, the E. coli crisis that struck
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Appendix C
401
Jack-in-the-Box was a prodrome to all fast-food handlers. In order to
prevent similar damage to our company, we must take very seriously what
happened at Jack-in-the-Box and what Foodmaker did wrong in communicating with the media and the public.
If this crisis communications plan is not followed in the event of a crisis,
irreparable damage to the reputation of UDUB Burger Drive-In is possible.
The loss of trust among our consumers could also lead to a large loss of
business. In dealing with this crisis plan, we must keep in mind that trust
and reliability are incredibly important to consumers when choosing a
place to eat, and UDUB Burger must protect its reputation as being a
reliable fast-food source. We trust that all employees will keep up their
outstanding work in order to protect our company from such a crisis.
Purposes
In the event of an E. coli or hepatitis A outbreak, we must take immediate
action to inform our publics of the situation and the measures they need
to take. Our open and honest transfer of information to the media and
health care facilities will eliminate confusion among our publics. By being
truthful and forthright, the crisis situation can be more smoothly resolved
and action can be taken to eliminate any future problems.
Objectives
We will make every effort to:
1. Initiate the crisis communications plan within 2 hours of the crisis
outbreak in the event of a suspected E. coli or hepatitis A infection
from food eaten at one of our restaurants.
2. Inform all health care organizations that might be involved with the
situation.
3. Inform all owners and managers within 3 hours of the outbreak.
4. Inform the media and restaurant patrons within 4 hours of the
outbreak.
5. Keep the media and all publics regularly informed of updated information through regular news briefs and updates to the company’s
website.
6. Maintain honesty with the media about all known information.
7. Find the source of the problem as soon as possible.
8. Distribute our ﬁndings to the media and all publics.
9. Develop ways to alleviate future problems.
10. Implement necessary changes as soon as possible and resume business
as usual.
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402
Appendix C
Crisis Inventory and Results
The accompanying crisis inventory graph (see Fig. C.1) analyzes ﬁve
possible crises that could occur at a UDUB Burger Drive-In: E. coli
poisoning, hepatitis A poisoning, ﬁre, injury, and violence. By studying
the probability of each possible crisis and the amount of possible damage
that could result if that crisis occurred, it was determined that UDUB
Burger Drive-In is more vulnerable to the crises involving E. coli or
hepatitis A outbreaks. This crisis plan was created to suit the needs of
UDUB Burger Drive-In in case one of these emergencies should occur.
6
Damage/probability
5
4
5
5
Damage
Probability
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
1
0
E. coli
Hepatitis A
Fire
Injury
Violence
Type of crisis
Figure C.1 A crisis inventory graph for UDUB Burger Drive-In.
Warning Signs of a Possible Crisis
E. coli
•
•
The E. coli crisis that occurred at a Jack-in-the-Box cost the company
a large number of customers. UDUB Burger can prevent this type of
crisis by following proper food-handling instructions and by being
aware of the quality of hamburger meat served to customers.
Employees will be trained in meat-preparation techniques to ensure
that the hamburgers reach a temperature high enough to kill E. coli
bacteria.
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Appendix C
403
Hepatitis A
•
•
Warning signs of a potential hepatitis A outbreak include employee
illness, failure to wash hands, and improper food handling. All
employees will be educated in how to prevent the spread of hepatitis A.
If an employee contracts hepatitis A, the individual will not be allowed
to work until he or she is declared “safe” by the Department of Health.
Fire
•
•
The 1968 kettle ﬁre at the UDUB Burger Drive-In in Lake City was
a wake-up call to all employees. Five days of business were lost.
Employees could have been seriously injured. Instructions for ﬁre
prevention can be found in the UDUB Burger Drive-In Employee
Handbook.
Unsafe working conditions or malfunctioning equipment could lead
to a potentially dangerous ﬁre. All employees will be trained to
recognize possible dangers in the preparation area.
Injury
•
•
Whether involving employees or customers, injury in the workplace
can create serious long-term problems, such as loss of business,
reduced workforce, negative publicity, and legal repercussions.
Employees will be trained to …

NYU Communications Working as A Nurse at A Local Hospital Discussion

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