CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Abstract

In essence, a crisis is a Public Affairs event and it is important to distinguish between a crisis on the one hand and an emergency on the other. An emergency may not necessarily become a crisis because the focus of an emergency is internal whereas the focus of a crisis is external.

At West Australian Petroleum Pty Limited (WAPET) we have a crisis management plan which has been developed to facilitate the rapid notification and response to emergency incidents involving WAPET personnel and facilities.

The plan requires the organisation of an Emergency Management Team to deal with the immediate impacts of the emergency, initiate a response and address the problem as quickly as possible.

In addition, a separate Crisis Management Team is mobilised to address the external crisis situation by identifying the impact of the problem on the business, initiate a media response, liaise with outside agencies and support the Emergency Management Team.

The overall goal of the emergency management system is to move from a reactive to a proactive mode of operation as quickly as possible.

Different levels of emergency have been identified and procedures initiated to respond by individuals at different levels within the organisation.

The process is tested periodically through the use of practice drills, the objective being to ensure that if a crisis occurs, the Company has in place procedures to respond at all levels to minimise impact upon the operations of the Company both short-term and long-term and to react to media interest in any crisis event.