In many companies corporate security is still perceived as an onerous duty that – apparently – does not contribute to value creation.
As the complete costs of an incident use to exceed what will expectedly be covered by insurance, outsourcing the risk to an insurance, does not provide a complete solution concerning an incident´s cost. An incident´s costs as well as the consequential costs -which usually exceed the costs of the incident itself by far (for the reason of damages to the company´s image), therefore use to affect the company by its survivability.
As a consequence of globalization, many companies are actin within a complex network of supply-chains, where an interrupted production may easily result in a termination of the company´s existence. A stable and persistent ability to act as a supplier may, in the opposite, even strengthen competitiveness. Concerning the management, all these conditions given are leading to the result of an own vital interest in a holistic security management as this improves the functionality of production processes.
Concerning the security management, companies in Germany are subject to a multitude of regulations:
With a one hundred percent in security out of reach, the effects of critical incidents such as the number of victims or the amount of material damage may be limited by according measures, though. Such may also limit interruptions in production to the minimum.
A “gap of reaction” uses to exist between the occurrence of an incident of damage and professional rescuer´s such as fires fighters or ambulances becoming effective (and not just their arrival). If not adequate measures of emergency-defense are immediately taken, the situation may escalade during this time of gap. That requires the forces available in addition to professional rescuers to be used purposefully. Such forces use to compose of the company´s staff and management being already present before the rescuer´s arrival. These persons may already launch efficient first measures to limit the incident as well as they may take preparations in advance of the professional forces´ arrival. The problem in this regard, however, is that such persons do not use to be trained to fast, efficiently and focused taking the adequate measures in case of fire, business interruption, explosion or even terrorist attacks.
To efficiently execute measures of corporate civil protection, the staff as well as the management requires to be trained on the security-directives of relevance. They must familiarize with how to identify a situation of risk, to assess such a situations possible further development and to launch the measures of first response required. The consideration of due self-protection, however, must be a central part of the training agenda. The management is required to immediately respond to a critical situation by deciding on, implementing and controlling of all measures required to re-establish regular conditions (business continuity).
Establishing, and training corporate “crisis teams” under conditions close to the real case of incident is a reasonable method to provide the persons acting with the competences in acting, assessing and handling the situation and leadership, as also within an uncommon situation of danger, an extreme stress-level and a lack of crisis-routine given, information requires to be collected, processed and forwarded, decisions require to be made and implemented and the implementation needs to be controlled. To know how professional rescuers use to proceed provides support on the optimized preparation of their operations.
An offensive information policy towards the employees, the population, the media and the group management represents another important part to the scope of a crisis teams´ tasks. Damages to the image initiated by a false policy on information, though, does sustainably impact the company´s success and requires complex and costly removal-measure.
Existential risks for the corporate security may be minimized by a holistic security management as well as by the organization, preparation and implementation of adequate measures on prevention of danger for companies.
Corporate security has long become a crucial production factor securing the company´s success on the long run.
A danger identified is just half a danger!
Within a crisis-situation an immediate “80%-decision” has to be preferred over an “100%-decision” coming too late!