Retail and Supply Chain Solutions

Pandemic crisis – planning a security strategy

THE GREATEST THREAT TO UK SECURITY – ARE YOU READY?

By Chris Fieldhouse,
Managing Director, Advance Security Retail & Supply Chain

Despite the media furor surrounding the impact that terrorism is having on our national security, a recent government report has revealed that it is in fact pandemic flu which presents the greatest risk to the UK.

The Cabinet Office’s National Risk Register (1), which until now had been kept a secret from the public, has been published to help raise awareness of the gravest crises currently threatening the UK. The government is hopeful that increased awareness will improve the preparedness of our organisations, individuals, families and communities for such threats, lessening the overall blow should the worst happen.

Taking into account accidents, natural events and malicious attacks, the register looks at a range of serious risks such as severe weather, terrorist attacks, animal disease and major industrial accidents. With pandemic flu predicated to claim up to 750,000 deaths should an outbreak occur, the report outlines that although other threats are more likely, the potential impact and consequences of a pandemic are much wider.

Influenza pandemics are natural phenomenons which have occurred three times in the last 100 years; it is therefore, very likely that another outbreak will take place; in fact with the last one occurring in 1968 some experts think that we are long overdue. With the government believing that the threat of a new pandemic presents a ‘real and daunting challenge’ to the economic and social wellbeing of our country (2) and the risk register highlighting that any outbreak is likely to impact on essential services leading to shortages and distribution difficulties, it is vital that UK businesses prepare now.

Should a pandemic hit, the government will rely on a variety of contributors to maximise the response and minimise the impact of the outbreak. The country’s industrial and commercial organisations will play a direct role in reducing not only the human impact, but also the potential economic disruption of the influenza. Our business need to not only survive during the pandemic, but also need to be able to rebuild and work towards a return to business as usual as quickly as possible afterwards.

The retail and distribution industry in particular will have a vital role to play during this critical time. Although the government’s framework for responding to an influenza pandemic states that shortages are not anticipated, this seems optimistic at best. What happens if the pandemic hits our distribution network and our drivers become ill and unable to work? Add to this an expected reduction in international travel due to both government restrictions and staff shortages and it becomes likely that major food shortages and disruption will occur. Retail staff will need to be maximised in order to deliver the best possible service, with the closure of non-essential services. It is probable that choice will be limited and that there will be a degree of panic buying, particularly in stocks of essential items such as bottled water and tinned goods and that in extreme circumstances rationing may even have to be considered.

It is crucial that stores stay open as long as possible , however, with a reduced workforce due to staff-illness, and the impact a pandemic may have on your business should it hit your supply chain and distribution routes, the threat becomes very real. It is in these circumstances that the security industry’s role will become key. With our main responsibility being to protect and deal with risk, private security firms need to take the lead and plan ahead for the potential disruption to availability and security due to staff absences, as well as anticipating requests for extra security coverage from the supply chain to manage the extra risk during this precarious time.

Prior preparation through the development of an operational security plan is therefore essential. At Advance Retail & Supply Chain we have taken a proactive approach towards planning for the worst, developing a strategy to provide our clients with some peace of mind that their premises will be protected during any outbreak, and helping businesses get ready for the knock-on consequences after the pandemic is over, which without such forethought could be disastrous.

Our pandemic strategy addresses the need for continuity in business planning, the importance of identifying key staff to manage the response, the need for regular communication across our operations, hygiene considerations and supplies, the importance of complying with government guidelines, the need for remote and flexible working, and the protection of IT infrastructure. We have adapted our plan to meet each stage of the potential outbreak, introducing more stringent actions should the virus escalate and taking into account fuel considerations, reviews of manpower, cancellation of all un-necessary travel, requests for government assistance, fast-tracking of officer training and any additional security threats.

Plans need not be complicated and there are some very simple measures that organisations can employ to ensure they are ready for a pandemic. At Advance we believe the threat to be very real and have not only placed the upmost importance on developing our own operational strategy, but we are also helping our clients to produce proactive, working plans bespoke to their individual requirements to ensure that they are fully prepared for the crisis and the impact to their organisations both during and after the outbreak.

Of course, nobody is infallible and if a pandemic strikes, maintaining service levels will be difficult. But what we can all do is to plan ahead to protect our businesses as much as possible, taking simple measures to negate the potential impact, burying our heads in the sand and hoping for the best just won’t work.”