Pandemic Risk Management. Protecting people while ensuring business continuity

The COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in the latter half of 2019, throughout 2020 and into 2021. In response, many companies implemented work from home policies, while others stopped operations entirely in an effort to limit the spread throughout their workforce and supporting communities. This containment strategy was not universally viable;long-term shutdowns impacted the economic viability of companies, and some industries were designated as an 'essential service' and thus continued operations. These employers faced the proposition of balancing the needs of the business and the community with a continued responsibility to provide a safe workplace for employees. This paper, and accompanying presentation, will demonstrate how the application of bowtie analysis, a commonly adopted methodology in high hazard industries, can help the risks associated with continued operation in a pandemic to be better understood and managed, thus ensuring the safety of both your personnel and business. © 36th Center for Chemical Process Safety International Conference, CCPS 2021 - Topical Conference at the 2021 AIChE Spring Meeting and 17th Global Congress on Process Safety.

Pandemic Risk Management;Protecting people while ensuring business continuity

The COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in the latter half of 2019,throughout 2020 and into 2021. In response,many companies implemented work from home policies,while others stopped operations entirely in an effort to limit the spread throughout their workforce and supporting communities. This containment strategy was not universally viable;long-term shutdowns impacted the economic viability of companies,and some industries were designated as anessential service and thus continued operations. These employers faced the proposition of balancing the needs of the business and the community with a continued responsibility to provide a safe workplace for employees. This paper,and accompanying presentation,will demonstrate how the application of bowtie analysis,a commonly adopted methodology in high hazard industries,can help the risks associated with continued operation in a pandemic to be better understood and managed,thus ensuring the safety of both your personnel and business. Copyright © American Institute of Chemical Engineers. All rights reserved.