Appendix 11 — Emergency Management Plan Example

Crisis Team Members:

__________________________, Crisis Team Leader (and Media Spokesperson), 555-1212
__________________________, Company President and/or Owner, 555-1213
__________________________, Company Sales Manager, 555-1214

Crisis Communication Plan

In response to any crisis situation (anyone answering the phone regarding a pathogen test result or questions and complaints from media or customers, or anyone hearing a grapevine comment in the community), all employees are trained to contact ____________________ (Crisis Team Leader) immediately, and to refer all questions to ____________________ (Crisis Team Leader). Other employees should not attempt to answer any questions or respond to any phone calls, but should refer all calls to the Team Leader.

The information listed here, along with pertinent names and phone numbers filled in, should be kept in a notebook that is readily accessible to the Crisis Team Leader at all times.

The Crisis Team Leader should have a plan, or flow chart, developed to address the following:

• Which media representative(s) will be notified?
• Who will handle media notification?
• Should media access to the situation be limited in any way?
• Identify respected third parties, who will support the company’s position.
• Determine how to communicate the situation to employees.

When You Get “The Call”

The Crisis Team shall meet, in person, within 1 hour of the notification of the crisis situation to:

• Get all the facts straight (How much product is involved? Where is the affected product? Product label names, code dates, and sizes of products, etc.) before contacting the inspection division. With the proper records, a public recall may not be necessary.
• Determine what additional information or expertise is needed.
• Identify targeted audiences who may have a stake in the outcome of the crisis.
• Determine what further action is needed.

Prepared by Lynn Knipe, Ohio State University Extension Meats Specialist; Lamar Hendricks, Regulatory Compliance, Hillshire Farms & Kahns, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Deb Abbott, Ohio Department of Agriculture. October 1999.

Recall Notice

For Ohio Department of Agriculture-inspected establishments, public notification of a voluntary recall is required within 24 hours. Also, responses to media questions should be made as soon as possible. All public statements should be truthful and candid. The company will take control of the message by minimizing references to outside agencies or companies for further information.

It is very important that you get the product name(s), package sizes, and lot or code numbers clearly identified in your announcement, in order to minimize additional confusion later. Once this information is available, a new release may be prepared.

The Crisis Team Leader, or other designees, will cooperate with the media, treating them as the messenger, not as the enemy. Daily communication with the media will occur during the initial few days of the crisis, to update media with the latest information.

The Media Spokesperson should be prepared with a list of “talking points,” which address:

• The company’s concern with the problem.
• That this is a voluntary recall.
• The company is cooperating with the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and/or the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in the process.
• That the problem is fixed.

Statements may be checked by legal counsel prior to public notification, to protect the company’s legal rights; therefore, media will need to be informed of the forthcoming information.

The Crisis Team Leader, or other designee, will make regular contact with any victims resulting from the crisis.

Crisis Communications Training

All employees and management, who might be expected to receive incoming telephone calls, will be required to complete training regarding what to say and who should be the spokeperson. Updated training is required at least once each year. The Crisis Team Leader will conduct the training, and a training record will be kept.

Fact Sheet on the Company

A positive, and hopefully honest, message to emphasize that you are and have been a producer of high-quality meat (and/or other food) products for _____ years, operating under state and/or federal inspection, implementing Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs, employing _____ people, in the ___________________________ (county, city, state) area.

Emergency Management Directory

Key customers, brokers, and their phone numbers

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

___________________________________ Phone __________________________________

Appendix 10 | Table of Contents