Emergency measures management and business continuity management are two distinct but complementary concepts that aim to ensure the resilience of an organization in the face of critical situations or disruptive events. Here are the differences between the two:
Management of emergency measures
Emergency management focuses on immediately responding to sudden and often unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, security incidents, etc. Its main objective is to protect the life and safety of individuals, reduce material losses and limit the damage caused by the event.
It involves rapid and decisive actions to respond to the emergency, mobilize the necessary resources, make critical decisions and put in place protocols to protect people and property.
Emergency measures management has a limited scope in time and focuses on immediate short-term actions to stabilize the situation.
Business continuity management:
Business continuity management focuses on planning and preparation to maintain the organization’s essential operations in the event of a major or prolonged interruption due to incidents or crises.Its aim is to ensure that key business functions can continue to operate even in disrupted circumstances, enabling the organization to survive, adapt and recover quickly.
It involves identifying critical activities, developing continuity plans, implementing backup solutions, backing up essential data, and training staff to ensure continuity of operations.
Business continuity management has a longer-term scope and takes into account post-event recovery scenarios to return to normal.
In summary, emergency management focuses on immediate response to critical events, while business continuity management focuses on preparation and planning to maintain organizational resilience over the long term, even in the event of major interruptions. These two approaches are complementary and contribute to strengthening the overall resilience of the company in the face of crises and emergency situations.
An emergency response plan (ERP) is a set of procedures enabling rapid response by operational response teams in the event of an emergency (active shooter, bomb threat, fire, power failure, etc.). The ERP provides for the deployment of emergency measures based on identified threats. It is a dynamic tool designed to adapt to new operations within the organization and changes in the organizational context. It is based on a comprehensive inventory of threats to an organization.
An emergency response plan is essential to ensure the protection of people, assets, and the environment in the event of an emergency. An ERP minimizes the adverse consequences of such incidents. In short, it is a risk prevention and management tool that contributes to the safety and resilience of organizations.
Crisis management involves anticipating, preventing, managing, and resolving critical situations or unforeseen events that could threaten the integrity, reputation, or stability of an organization in an effective and strategic manner.
A crisis management plan outlines an organization’s response to crises that threaten its operational capacity and/or the security of its assets. It describes the measures taken by an organization to minimize the negative impact of an unforeseen event on the organization and/or its stakeholders. Crisis management plans may differ from one organization to another, influenced by factors such as the nature of the business, the size of the workforce, and the resources available. Crisis management and business continuity plans are complementary tools that are essential to the survival of organizations in the event of unexpected and serious incidents.
A crisis management plan outlines an organization’s response to crises that threaten its operational capacity and/or the security of its assets. It describes the measures taken by an organization to minimize the negative impact of an unforeseen event on the organization and/or its stakeholders. Crisis management plans may differ from one organization to another, influenced by factors such as the nature of the business, the size of the workforce, and the resources available. Crisis management and business continuity plans are complementary tools that are essential to the survival of organizations in the event of unexpected and serious incidents.
A business continuity plan is a set of policies and procedures that enable a company to prepare for and respond to major disruptive events that threaten the integrity of the organization’s mission. It aims to ensure the continuity of the company’s essential activities by minimizing risks to staff, customers, suppliers, and business operations. It includes recovery strategies, contact lists of key individuals, decision-making guidelines, etc.
A business continuity or operations plan enables a company to effectively manage a disruptive event that threatens the delivery of its core activities, requiring it to resume normal operations as quickly as possible. Here are the advantages of having a business continuity plan:
- Limit material and financial losses
- Protect company assets.
- Ensure the continuation of essential activities to preserve the company’s revenue and reputation.
- Embody the image of a responsible company.
- Maintain operations even in the event of an incident, which can be a competitive advantage.
- Meet the expectations of customers who require a business continuity plan.
- Comply with industry-specific requirements, such as AS9100 and IATF 16949 standards, the SQF Code, and the rules of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) or the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
In short, this enables a company to prepare for, respond to, and recover more effectively from an emergency situation, while preserving its business and reputation.