What would you do if an accident at a production facility shut down your manufacturing operations? Or if it impacted the health and safety of local residents? How would you respond to a damaging rumor, or an unfounded criticism of your company on social media?
Chemical companies and distributors don’t have to deal with issues or crises every day. Still, the nature of the business puts them at constant potential risk—even if they have a sterling reputation for safety. Manufacturing sites, product transportation, customer use and handling of these materials, and the people trusted to manage these operations all represent potential vulnerabilities that could force a company to face a critical situation.
How they respond is as likely to be remembered as the incident itself. A study by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) once revealed that 40% of businesses never reopen after a disaster and 25% fail within a year. The U.S. Small Business Association has reported that 90% of companies shut down within two years of an incident. The cause is not always the damage to plants. How a company handles communications during an issue or crisis can make or break its future.
While there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution to responding to an issue or crisis, companies can take steps to protect their reputation and mitigate risk before, during, and after an event. There are also “best practices” to keep in mind when developing and implementing communications plans. Specifically, Be responsive, honest and transparent.
Preparation
Knowing potential issue and crisis scenarios a company might face is an essential first step; understanding that there are situations that can’t be anticipated is just as critical. Deployment of a software glitch in July 2024 shut down companies, airlines and more all over the United States. Hurricanes and tornadoes, disruptions to logistic routes or the power grid, and other events all have the potential to put any business in crisis mode.
To be prepared:
Know in advance what to do when you face an issue or crisis. Have a team of critical personnel with specific roles (operations, EH&S, human resources, business management, legal, communications, etc.) that can be mobilized and allowed to focus on the situation at hand, along with the contacts for first responder agencies (police, fire, EMS).
Draft communications plans for any situations that can be anticipated, including standby statements for both traditional and social media.
Identify and train executives and other spokespeople who will serve as the face of the company.
Conduct regular training sessions and crisis communications drills based on varying events to ensure everyone on the team knows her/his role.
In addition, communicate information about your company’s issue and crisis communications preparation to employees. Let them know that if something occurs, it’s important not to post information on social media or speak to the press unless instructed to do so.
Planning
Any issue or crisis is likely to be a developing and evolving situation, which means a communications plan and any corresponding statements will change continuously as information is known. Tailor your communications plan to the specific situation, including the following elements:
Goal—The broad, long-term outcome that the company wants to achieve. For example, after an issue or crisis, the goal may be to restore a company’s reputation.
Target audience(s) – Those impacted by the issue or crisis (local residents, customers, suppliers, consumers). Note that the media is not an audience but a means to reach the target audience.
Objectives – The measurable results designed to achieve the goal. In an issue or crisis, objectives should focus on demonstrating responsiveness, transparency, and timely communication of information.
Strategy – Details of how the communications plan will be implemented.
Tactics – Details of which traditional (newspapers, radio, television) and social (X, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc.) media will be addressed, along with the types of deliverables (Q&A document, website posts, statements, news releases, news conferences, social posts, customer communications, etc.) that will be developed. Relevant safety data sheets should also be included.
Key Messages – The information that will be communicated. A good practice is to date and time-stamp every public statement so that target audiences know they have received the latest information.
Team—As mentioned above, it is crucial to have a team of critical personnel with specific roles, including those responsible for reviewing, approving, and distributing public statements.
Timetable – While this might present a moving target, it might be possible to schedule regular briefing sessions for the media, especially in a crisis.
Evaluation—All media reporting of the event should be tracked and evaluated for factuality and tone. This will help determine the next steps once the situation is resolved.
Q&A
In a perfect world, companies would have ample time to gather all relevant information about the issue or crisis, have sufficient time to draft a plan and Q&A document, brief executives, get everything approved, and be able to manage media inquiries and social media smoothly. But we live in the real world.
Chemical suppliers and distributors often learn about incidents from X or news reports. Before they can start working on a response, they’re bombarded with calls and emails from reporters and must manage misinformation, rumors and speculation on social media.
The first deliverable to be developed should be the Q&A document. Start with a summary of the incident (this can serve as a company’s initial statement) that includes all of the most important information:
“On <Date> at <Time>, <Description of what happened>. <Description of what occurred as a result, e.g., were there any injuries? Casualties? Property loss? Release of harmful or toxic substances? Impact on surrounding community?> We are in contact with local first responders who have informed us <include that information>.
Note that if a harmful substance is released, there may be a need to notify residents to take precautionary measures (e.g., shelter in place).
The Q&A document should be date and time-stamped. From there, an attempt should be made to identify as many questions as possible that a reporter might ask.
For example:
Who/how many people was/were affected?
What happened?
What was the cause of the incident?
Could the incident have been prevented?
What safety precautions are typically in place to prevent something like this?
Has anything of a similar nature happened at the company before?
When/where/why did it happen?
What changes were made then to prevent something like this from happening?
What chemicals were involved?
What threat do they pose to the public?
When is the situation expected to return to normal?
Two important things to remember when drafting the Q&A
First, it’s best to try to ask and get answers to the most challenging questions. Journalists will ask them; the answers should be as transparent as possible. Second, if the answers are not yet known or available, the best response is “that’s still under investigation,” or “we still don’t have the answer to that,” with a promise to get back to the reporter once the information is known.
When interacting with a reporter, there are some best practices to keep in mind:
never go “off the record;” and,
never say something a company doesn’t want to see it in print, hear on the air, or see trending on social media.
It’s also recommended not to use blanket “no comment” statements to answer questions; these will lead reporters to presume that something is being covered up and invite speculation.
However, there are instances in which information should not be disclosed, such as:
Personnel matters – “Because this is a personnel matter, we are not able to comment.”
Lawsuits – “Because the matter is the subject of a legal proceeding, we are unable to comment.”
Rumors and speculation – “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on rumors and speculation.”
Public Statements
Once a company has sufficient information to release public statements, it should always be truthful and always stick to provable facts. Many companies have standard EH&S language that can be included. However, it’s important to note that journalists are trying to gather facts and information.
“On <Date> at <Time>, <Description of what happened>. <Description of what occurred as a result, e.g., were there any injuries? Casualties? Property loss? Release of harmful or toxic substances? Impact on surrounding community?> We are in contact with local first responders who have informed us <include that information>. We are currently investigating the situation and will provide further information as it becomes available. We make every effort to safeguard the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we work, and to protect the environment. We work to operate facilities that are safe and environmentally responsible.”
Another thing to remember is that shorter statements must be developed for social media. When space doesn’t permit inclusion of all relevant facts, it becomes helpful to include links to the company website, where complete statements can be posted.
Additional statements should be released to provide updates as information becomes known or better understood.
Monitoring Media and Social Media
One news story can have a direct, long-lasting impact on a company’s reputation. Despite today’s rapidly moving news cycle, news about an issue or crisis will have high visibility and a long shelf life on the internet.
All information on the media and social media should be tracked and evaluated. If wrong or misleading information is published somewhere, it’s best to contact the reporter with a clarifying statement.
Professional Communications Support
The importance of having a communications professional as part of an issue or crisis communications team cannot be overstated. That person will be able to manage the development and review of the plan and all deliverables, media relations activities, and media monitoring. If a company doesn’t have a communications professional on staff, it’s a good idea to utilize the services of a public relations agency with experience in this area.
