The project operating environment has numerous natural and man-made risks which, unless managed effectively, can cause harm to people, damage to assets and the environment, disruption to operations or bring a project to a complete halt. Furthermore, the reputation of individuals and corporations can be damaged, shareholder value can be reduced and in some cases individuals can be held accountable for their actions or lack of action in respect to their duty of care obligations.
The operating environment is where people live, work and travel and includes work-sites, offices, accommodation, transport routes, processing plants, communities and villages, markets and other places where business is conducted. Effective risk management involves identifying the root cause and treating all of the risk that exists and not just those threats that get the most attention (robbery, shooting, bombing and kidnapping). The most likely threats are often overlooked and include road accidents, petty crime, fire and electrical hazards and scratches and bites from animals and insects. Incidents are often caused by poor policy and process, misadventure, stupidity and fatigue. Finding and treating the root cause of risk leads to effective risk management solutions, substantial cost savings and sustainable operations.
Axinto provides risk management services that go beyond the usual security based solutions. Our focus is on risk prevention. It is better to prevent risk events from occurring in the first place than to base an entire strategy on response actions that can only be implemented after the risk incident has actually happened.
Violent attacks in public places and work environments are increasing throughout the world. Attacks are carried out by political or religious extremists, disgruntled former employees or customers, mentally impaired people or a combination of various types. The terms used to describe attackers include Active Armed Offender, Active Assailant and Active Shooter. Australia is not safe from these threats and organisations (and individuals) must prepare for the possibility that an incident will occur in their vicinity and they may be intentionally or unintentionally involved.
An attack may or may not be terror related and it is usually impossible to tell at the time the incident occurring. Nevertheless, the actions of the offenders are designed to cause damage and inflict harm on people regardless of their motivation. For businesses, it is almost certain than any incident in or around their facility will cause business interruption for a period of time. For other venues there will be disruption to normal activities.
Axinto provides services to assist businesses, government owned entities, private organisations and individuals to prepare for the possibility of an attack occurring. Our focus is on prevention - deterring a would-be attacker, detecting an attack (early warning) and delaying or limiting the movement of an attacker. Services include vulnerability assessments, implementation of deterrence measures, development of internal processes, training and awareness and response preparation.
Disasters require quick thinking and immediate action. Whether it is responding to a natural disaster, an accident, a medical emergency or a missing person, knowing what to do and taking prompt and decisive action may be the difference between life and death. Relying on the home office or a distant call centre to provide critical answers is almost certain to lead to regrettable outcomes. The knowledge, equipment, skills and authority to make decisions must be held in the project location.
Having tested response plans for a range possible emergencies is essential in high risk or remote project locations, or in regions that have a history of natural disasters. Understanding the limitations within the operating environment and having backup plans are common sense but often overlooked. Local hospitals and medical clinics may not have the expertise, capacity or motivation to assist, or the types and quantities of medications required to treat one or more casualties. Evacuations may not be immediately possible due to the security situation, weather or availability of suitable vehicles or aircraft. An evacuation insurance policy cannot guarantee an immediate evacuation and the person must be kept alive until the evacuation can occur. Appropriate life sustaining medical expertise must be an integral part of the project team.
Axinto works with organisations to build effective disaster response systems. This involves the development of policies, processes and plans, allocation of roles and responsibilities, training of personnel, provision of equipment, establishment of relationships and robust testing prior to the possibility of emergencies occurring.