SOME ISSUES IN BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING (BCP) AT THE CENTRAL BANK OF BARBADOS BY HAROLD CODRINGTON

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1 SOME ISSUES IN BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING (BCP) AT THE CENTRAL BANK OF BARBADOS BY HAROLD CODRINGTON Prepared for the CEMLA Conference on Contingency Planning and Business Continuity Plans for Extreme Situations Lima, Peru, April 1 and 2, 2013 Saturday, March 16,

2 THE EVOLUTION OF THE BCP 2002: Risk and Disaster Management Manual Prepared. 2004: Emergency Evacuation Manual/Annual Fire drills; Safety Officers; Shutdown Officers, Hotsite. Fire drills conducted in collaboration with Fire Service, Police Force, Defence Force. Government Emergency Agency; 2006: The BC Planning Committee Formed 2007: Work Plan completed. 2007: Earthquake/Tremor in November. 2008: Business Continuity Plan (BCP)completed 2

3 2. THE DETAILS OF THE BCP BCP provides for: An Emergency Management Team (headed by the Deputy Governors and including the Heads of several key departments, A Disaster Management Team, chaired by the Deputy Director of the Facilities Management Department Departmental Business Continuity Units, and Five Recovery Teams to deal with Operations Networks Applications Facilities Communications 3

4 3. THE DETAILS (Cont d) The Business Continuity Plan coveres a range of unfavourable events, including: Acts of nature Hurricane Thunderstorm Tornado Flood Landslide Earthquake Tsunami Other Hazards Fire, Explosion, Toxic Substances and Chemical Threat. 4

5 4. THE DETAILS (Cont d) The Business Continuity Plan advocates a phased approach to Disaster Planning as follows: Phase I: Pre-Planning This Phase is intended to put a programme in place to allow for a smooth execution and roll out of the Bank s support mechanisms. It will involve formulation of a Command Centre and the operations of the Emergency Management Systems. Phase II: Pre-Disaster This Phase is intended to ensure that there is general knowledge among all staff at all levels to ensure a clear understanding and readiness in the event of a disaster Phase III: Disaster This Phase is the acceleration of the state of preparedness (implementing procedures) to deal with a disaster. Phase IV: Recovery This Phase will involve Damage Assessment, activating procedures for Resumption of Business Operations (including execution of the Staff Aid Programme) 5

6 5. THE BCP STRATEGIC PLAN A Strategic Plan for Business Continuity was Developed Strategic Plan emphasizes: Awareness; Training & Simulation; Contingency for Records; Staff Assistance; Currency; MISD Computer Room; Policy for paying for Services after an Emergency Event; and Liaising with Financial Institutions and other Government Agencies. 6

7 6. REPORTING LINES BCP Committee is chaired by a Middle Management Staff Member. That individual is certified as an Associate Business Continuity Planner. Chairman is located in Facilities Management Department which has responsibility for overall building maintenance. Other Committee members are representatives of the various departments. 7

8 7. WEAKNESS IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM - Lack of top level support - Weak information flow and feedback mechanisms - Poor Awareness Programme - Predictability of some elements (fire drills) - Apathy on part of staff - BCP not part of work programme February 2013: New Task Force appointed to restructure BCP Programme 8

9 8. THE EARTH TREMOR OF NOVEMBER 27, 2007 A CASE STUDY (a) Introduction Historically, Barbados most susceptible to weather related disasters hurricanes and floods. Last major hurricane in 1955, but damage from wind and floods as recently as October 2010 In the Caribbean region, two earthquake fault lines run through the northern and eastern islands; the northern islands have had major earthquakes, while the eastern islands have registered many minor earthquakes with magnitudes of between 3 and 5 on the Richter Scale It was therefore very surprising when a magnitude 7.3 earthquake was experienced on November 29,

10 8. THE EARTH TREMOR OF NOVEMBER 27, 2007 A CASE STUDY (Cont d) (b) The Incident The tremor struck at around 3 pm, at a time when the majority of staff was at work. The Central Bank Building is the tallest in the country, so the movement was more pronounced than in other buildings. No one on staff knew that it was an earthquake that had occurred, since there was no history to draw on. The apprehension on the part of staff was heightened by a recent cavein which had swallowed a house and caused a number of deaths. Staff exited the building as quickly as they could. Assistance was rendered by the Security personnel and Safety Officers. It was only on exiting the building that most of the staff realized that an earthquake had occurred. 10

11 8. THE EARTH TREMOR OF NOVEMBER 27, 2007 A CASE STUDY (Cont d) (c) Aftermath Apart from causing anxiety, the quake resulted in nausea, loss of balance and disorientation for staff. Cellphones and landlines did not function, which meant that staff members could not contact relatives and friends, leading to additional anxiety. As businesses closed their operations, there was a mad scramble to leave the city area, leading to a traffic jam that lasted for hours. There was much uncertainty among the Bank s BCP personnel on how to handle the crisis. However, they did some basics things, like establishing lines of authority, cordoning off the building, informing senior management who were offsite, preventing unauthorized entry to the building and encouraging persons to stay far from the building in case of falling items. As time went on and it appeared that there was no major damage to other structures on the island, security personnel were allowed to enter the building to retrieve personal belongings for some staff. 11

12 8. THE EARTH TREMOR OF NOVEMBER 27, 2007 A CASE STUDY (Cont d) (d) Interventions Over the next day or two, personnel from the firm that designed the building inspected it for any sign of damage and found none On the first working day after the incident, counselors were brought in to deal with staff who were traumatized and were reluctant to re-enter the building. The counseling session included a presentation on the soundness of the building by the engineers. 12

13 8. THE EARTH TREMOR OF NOVEMBER 27, 2007 A CASE STUDY (Cont d) (e) Lessons Learnt Expect the unexpected Practice makes perfect (evacuation drills) Leadership is vital Take care of staff concerns 13