Crisis Management

Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management

Volume 17 Number 1 March 2009

Enhancing Organizational Resilience Through Emergency Planning: Learnings from Cross-Sectoral Lessons
Margaret T. Crichton*, Cameron G. Ramsay** and Terence Kelly***
*People Factor Consultants Ltd, 41 Regent Quay, Aberdeen AB11 5BE, UK. E-mail: [e-mail] **Cogna Limited, Aberdeen, UK ***UKAEA, The Manor Court, Chilton, Oxfordshire, OX11 ORN

After every emergency exercise or actual incident, reports are circulated that usually identify lessons that have been learned from the event. This paper identifies recurring themes from the lessons learned that can be widely applied across sectors. Typically, lessons are expressed in a form that is specific to the actual event that has transpired, the sector in which it has occurred, and the aims of the reporting organization. Reports relating to seven incidents that have occurred in the United Kingdom and internationally, from a range of sectors and with varying parameters, have been reviewed. It is concluded that organizations can become wiser by looking at incidents outside their own sector and by using these recurring themes to explore the resilience of their emergency plans. Recommendations are also made for best practices to improve the learning of lessons within organizations.

1. Introduction

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ollowing every accident or incident, and usually every emergency exercise, reports are prepared that typically culminate in a series of ‘lessons learned’. Reports are prepared by the organizations involved in the event, and are often circulated internally and to other related organizations. The aim is to learn from the event that has occurred and to avoid this event occurring again. Occasionally, the lessons identified are adopted across sectors. For example, lessons learned from such high-profile accidents such as Bhopal (1984: chemical), Chernobyl (1986: nuclear) and Challenger (1986: space) have had widespread influence

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