Sample Crisis Information Capture Reports

The following section provides examples of some crisis information capture reports. The list and report contents offered are not designed to be exhaustive or all‐inclusive, but to illustrate how information capture and dissemination, as well as response guidelines, can work to complement each other when a company and its employees deal with an emergency situation. Companies should seek to align the questions posed in such reports to their response guidelines, as well as to their unique corporate interests and the particular operating environment in which a business activity or project may be taking place. Questions should be designed to meet three basic needs:

1. Increase organizational understanding.
2. Enable effective management decision making.
3. Provide documented evidence.

The first information capture box is designed so that the issuer captures administrative details such as which region, country, and project the report came from, what restrictions might apply in terms of information sharing, when the incident happened, and any administrative codes or numbers that might be attached to the report. A reference column has been included at the left‐hand side of each chart to guide managers through questions they should be asking. A blank column is at the right‐hand side so that information is succinctly captured with questions and answers on one document. The structure of reports should be simple, consistent, and cognizant of the range of capabilities and experience within the company, in terms of both those providing information and those interpreting the reports.

Incident Management Plan Risk Assessment Reports

While typically a function of the crisis response team (CRT), an IMP risk assessment report can in some instances be useful for the incident response team (IRT) to indicate how a crisis event may impact the company from a grassroots perspective, as well as any recommendations on how both the IRT and CRT should counter or mitigate these risks. This will feed immediate concerns and information from the source of the event in order to supplement the data response materials forwarded during the initial stages of a crisis. A basic IMP risk assessment of how the event may affect the company can prove useful to support risk mitigation at all levels in the early stages of an emergency.

The IMP risk assessment should not be confused with the responsibilities of the crisis response team and specialist responders, who should conduct more comprehensive risk assessments and evaluations during and following the crisis. The IMP risk assessment is a tool designed to provide an immediate and local perspective of the problems and impacts likely to occur that might fall outside of normal reporting formats within the IMP. The following provides an example of a simple IMP risk assessment report:

IMP Risk Assessment Report Incident Management Data Call

Serious Incident Reporting

While there is significant value in developing tailored data calls to reflect the wide range of postulated risks a company might face, there is also mileage in having a catch‐all incident data call which meets the generic needs of those risks which might not have been anticipated; or span multiple areas. Companies should develop a standardized serious incident report (SIR) to document and manage information flow on serious events that occur within a project or region. The report should be completed and released during and following each serious incident, either to capture multiple risk natures or to reflect a gap in company reporting templates. Companies may wish to have staged reports to capture the details of a fluid event requiring initial, interim, and closure reports. All reports must be completed correctly and in sufficient detail, as they may be used for audit or investigation purposes. The company or its subcontracted vendors might have preferences regarding formatting as well as the distribution list—these should be in alignment with the communications plan. An agreement should be reached between the company and external parties to ensure that reports capture all necessary details and are sent only to agreed recipients. Serious incidents might include hostile incidents resulting in injury, death, or major project problems; severe injury or death from natural causes or accidents; serious industrial accidents or evacuations; serious legal or reputational situations; and the loss of a critical of high‐value asset. The following provides a suggested format for a SIR.

Serious Incident Report Incident Management Data Call

It is useful to catalog and distribute measures that have been tried and have either failed or succeeded during a crisis situation in order to avoid duplication and demonstrate efforts being taken to a wider audience, as well as illustrate the degree of focus being paid toward resolving an issue. It also provides a fail‐safe to ensure that no options are accidently overlooked. A common failing found within response measures is for the crisis management team, either local or corporate, to not mention failed efforts, but rather to focus on successful approaches. This can create further questions and not illustrate the efforts and routes being pursued to resolve an issue. A full reporting of successes and failures is important during a crisis situation—as well as for any postincident investigations. A simple format should be used to track all efforts attempted, such as the example provided here: