Posted By SeanThompson
I have been asked by our German owners to produce an emergency concept and submit it to them. Has anyone done one of these or come across this before?

Posted By Jonathan Breeze
Could be a literal translation from the German for "emergency plan".

I'm guessing here as I don't do German.

Any other ideas?

Posted By Mitch
I too work for a German company and would suggest you check their wording, our parent company usually makes up words to suit!!! Which causes some confusion with on-line translators.


Regards

Mitch

Posted By Merv Newman
An emergency plan is also intended to be a useful document for emergency response teams : where and what the hazards are, how to get to them etc.

One copy to be lodged at the gatehouse.

Merv

Posted By Les Welling
Hi try: davehansford.iem@btopenworld.com Dave is a consultant and we have used him in the past. He is an expert in Emergency planning, an Ex Police Officer ancomes highly reccommended. Hope this helps.

Les

Posted By Jonathan Breeze
Possibly Andy, but we'll never know unless Sean gets back to us to tell us what the answer was.

Needless to say, I think we're all agreed that further clarification was needed and that he could play the "lost in translation" card if he was seriously concerned at looking foolish.

Sean, over to you - please do enlighten us!

Posted By Jonathan Breeze
I'm still none the wiser there Sean.

Does that make it like the initial phase of a "disaster recovery plan" or more like the "fire action procedures"?

Thanks for getting back to us by the way.

Posted By SeanThompson
Jonathan,

Its more like a fire action plan. Its a step by step flow chart.

Posted By SeanThompson
Hold on a minute Christopher,

Iv asked the forum for advice, taken the advice on board. How do you know what i have been doing? Who are you to question i am in the wrong field?

Its no wonder this profession is perceived the way it is with people like you in it.

Posted By Christopher
Save the childish reply. That sounded more like you've had your pride hurt. What is the most basic thing we tell employees about health and safety. If you don't understand what it is you're being asked to do. Always ask for clarification from the person who is requesting the task to be completed. You have been provided with some very good guesses at what you have been asked to do. Now accept that there is a wide variation of perspectives and go back and ask the person who asked you to do the job. I believe its called communication.

Posted By Christopher
I have been asked by our German owners to produce an emergency concept and submit it to them. Has anyone done one of these or come across this before?

Ok then, and what was their response? What did you provide them with? I copied your queary, since I would suggest that everyone who has reponded to date has interpreted your queary in the same way that I have. You were seeking clarification. I guess we're all wrong!

Any chance of a constructive answer this side of Xmas.

Posted By Christopher
Sorry Jane

Posted By Christopher
Actually Sean, they were all helpful. You did not advise us of what your initial thoughts were, we all responded appropriately based on our interpretion of your thread. You are simply upset at having to address the suggestion that all professionals have to do from time to time, which is to remind ourselves that we may have to go back and admit to the originator that we do not understand what we are being asked to do.

Posted By Merv Newman
I think Christopher was a bit over the top.

I produced/revised/corrected/updated a number of "fire action plans" while I was plant safety manager. These were the basic "what to do in an emergency situation" documents and covered only the first half-hour or so of such a situation.

later in life I had to come up with an"emergency management and recovery programme" and, even after about fifteen years in the job it was a sweat. I needed help and advice from wherever and from whomever.

If I had known about this site at the time then I would probably been asking the same question as Sean.

Managers, asking for such a plan, do not necessarily know what they want and therefore may not be able to put their requirements in writing.

It would be Sean's job, with advice and a bit of research, to come up with a first draft which he would submit to management, asking "is this in line with your thinking ?"

Clearer guidelines should come out of that meeting and Sean could then get on with the final draft. (again subject to management approval)

Maybe Sean should have asked for an explanation of the word "concept" and some verbal clarification of what the manager had in mind. But this is more likely a linguistic problem which could be cleared up by a few questions. Asking for written instructions is a definite no-no.

Asking for advice is a good thing to do. Whatever level of experience/qualifications/competence you have

Merv

Posted By SeanThompson
Merv - Absolutely spot on, no one is ever too good, old or young for advice. I did pretty much what you said in you post, got a translation and got the term concept clarified and i was then happy to go from there. So i did take on the advice from you guys.

Steve - I agree with your post, sometimes people are quick to jump on others and criticise and not really help but try and look good to there peers.

Having been in the field for over 3 years i am still learning and I'm sure a lot of you still are so i find this forum very helpful indeed.