When Disaster Strikes

No matter the industry, no matter the product, there will be occasions when disaster strikes. It struck National Express at the M4/M25 coach crash scene on 3 January, with two deaths and multiple injuries.

You can’t control the media (as commenters on this blog point out) but the industry needs to plan to mitigate any disaster’s effects. NatEx will have a plan. Does your business?

Prevention – this is impossible but there are still ways in which an operator might minimise disaster through the risk assessment process. Driver training is one way. Realistic and transparent vehicle maintenance another. Pragmatic running times is a major one.

Readiness – it may seem insensitive to prepare, but it’s essential. Foster contacts with local reporters, police and highway staff; prepare a ready-to-go statement on the company’s safety record & procedures; and delegate to one person the responsibility of dealing with the media.

Crisis Management – this is the difficult part as it needs a flexible response to a constantly changing situation, and because much is outside the control of the operator. In the event of a crash, it’s imperative to get a senior company rep to any hospital to deal as positively, quickly and empathetically with relatives as possible, who may be distraught. Employ counsellors if necessary. Press releases should be issues periodically. If at all possible, move the vehicle away from the scene quickly – there may be brand implications. Yes, all this is easier said than done. So, as part of “readiness”, operators should test their response systems.

Post-incident – it’s important to manage the business risk, to leave as professional an impression as possible. That way, the brand will be damaged as little as possible, and so will the whole industry.

None of this is designed to sound callous, it’s simply what large organisations do (or should). It’s not that different to the approach M&S, Tesco and ICI and all nationally known service providers and manufacturers will have in place in the event of a disaster, of whatever sort. Why not in the bus industry?