Society is changing rapidly and is creating new challenges for companies. Social and traditional media mean that the news is soon out there. Society expects companies to be open, honest, committed and accountable. A good response to both incidents and (potential) crisis situations is important for business operations. Avebe wants to be prepared for this, because a quick and effective response to a crisis can prevent a lot of damage.

A methodology for crisis management was already in place at Avebe. “When a crisis breaks out, efficiency is very important, our methodology was not efficient enough”, says Rob van Laerhoven, CFO at Avebe. “We have more confidence in a system in which people are trained and practiced than in extensive documentation on how to act.”

Simplified methodology
The new approach is more effective; there are clear roles and responsibilities. In the event of an incident, the crisis teams on site are concerned with safety of people, the environment and restarting the processes. The crisis management team, consisting of a crisis leader, crisis coordinator and communication leader, deals with the consequences of a larger incident or issue such as strategic choices, stakeholder management and communication to safeguard Avebe's reputation.
If necessary, a Business Continuity Management (BCM) system is set up to ensure that Avebe will return to normal after an incident in order to fulfil its agreements with customers and suppliers as well as possible.

Rapid response
In the event of an incident, it is important that the crisis management team responds effectively. This is only possible if the team is informed at an early stage of serious incidents. This is why a new escalation procedure has been set up and people are trained to recognise and act on possible crisis situations. Van Laerhoven: “Anyone at Avebe can make a report. If you see or hear anything suspicious, whether it is customers, suppliers or the media, inform your manager. That way a report can be made via our incident procedures to the crisis contact person, who will then consider whether the crisis management team should be involved.”

Crisis communication
The new approach also provides a clearer picture of crisis communication. To inform the media and stakeholders quickly and carefully, there is always communication from the Communication Department. In addition, spokespersons are trained at each location to speak to the media in the event of an incident, under the supervision of the Communication Department. Van Laerhoven: “To prevent misrepresentation, it is important that people do not place anything on social media themselves or respond to messages or questions from journalists. They should refer them to the Communication Department. Of course, during a crisis, questions can arise in the immediate vicinity to which you, as an employee, would like to be able to give an answer. The Communication Department draws up and shares messages via the intranet and information screens so that employees are well informed.”

Getting started
The design and implementation of the new approach will be ready on 1 July 2019. The crisis management team will have been trained and the documentation will be ready. Van Laerhoven: “But we haven't finished innovating yet. The new approach can only be successful if everyone in Avebe helps to quickly detect and report threatening situations.” That is why the rest of the organisation will be informed and involved in the new approach in the coming year and a half. “Together we are working on a future-proof organisation in which safety, value creation, results for our members and customers are central”, concludes Van Laerhoven. 

Stop threats and prevent consequential damage with Business Continuity Management (BCM).

BCM is the process in which scenarios have been drawn up for various potential threats to control the impact. In practice, BCM consists of measures during crisis conditions, for example when production is stopped due to a fire. The BCM measures ensure that the threat is controlled and minimized as soon as possible so that the consequential damage is minimized. The goal is to quickly restore the business processes.

The BCM plan maps out a number of scenarios for each location. An action list has been drawn up for the scenarios concerned. These actions are brought together in a handy tool. This tool supports the crisis team in controlling the various aspects that come into play. They are able to take the right measures in the right order to restart production as soon as possible and deliver products to our customers.

The media soon picked it up: ‘Industry fire at Avebe in Foxhol.’ On Friday, December 14, a fire broke out at Avebe in Foxhol. The fire started in one of the compressors in a storage room. Avebe employees acted immediately and effectively by informing the security services and shutting down the processes. Avebe examined the consequences and evaluated the course of action. Sandy de Bies, QESH Manager and responsible for the company's emergency organisation at Avebe Foxhol, tells about this.

“The fire in Foxhol was not a crisis, but an incident. Because the flames spread, the fire was soon seen as a crisis. Our internal evaluation has shown that good and swift action was taken. That's also why the fire was kept under control.

Partly thanks to the ‘spot on’ reporting of the first responder, the authorities immediately knew a lot about the extent of the fire. The employee concerned, who works for the fire brigade as well as for Avebe, was able to clearly indicate the stage that the fire had reached. With this specific information, the fire brigade was able to prepare itself well. They were able to confirm that the fire was under control within a few hours. Several teams worked together on a start-up plan to get the plant up and running again, an investigation into the cause of the fire and a report on the safety risks.

We have clear protocols. These help us to get things under control and quickly get into a managed, safe situation. We did a good job on 14 December. Thanks to the good efforts of our team, the crisis coordinator and other colleagues, a crisis was prevented. I'm grateful for that”, concludes De Bies.

Use the incident procedures or call emergency number 333*

You signal for instance:  
Unforeseen circumstance at the site  (fire/explosion/serious accident)
Customer problem (claim or contamination with potential impact)
Supply chain (critical supplier is lost)

* only applicable in the Netherlands

Activation of site emergency plan  

Activating the emergency plan calls out the crisis coordinator and support team. Together they bring about a safe situation and ensure that the operational situation can be restored as quickly as possible.

If the impact of an incident exceeds specific parameters, the incident must be reported to a crisis contact. There are nine crisis contacts divided over three groups

The crisis contact assesses the situation on the basis of the main question: 

Are there any fatalities/injuries/missing persons or is personal safety in jeopardy? 

Could damage be caused to the environment? 

Could business operations be seriously impeded?  

Have any rules or laws been violated?

Could this incident damage Avebe's reputation? 

1x yes >> there is a potential crisis

Will people within and outside of Avebe notice this and could it lead to concern or an outcry?

The crisis leader determines whether there is a crisis.

To answer this question there are 5 sub-questions:

Corporate

Crisis management team  |  Responsible for strategic decisions, stakeholder management, reputation and communication
Consisting of: crisis leader, crisis coordinator, communication leader and specific support

Avebe site

Responsible for operational matters