What Should Managers Do When Tragedy Strikes?

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog has posted incident after incident of tragedies in our industry. The APSB hopes that the posting of these incidents reinforce the need of continued safety education pertaining toward the hazard(s) in the incident. 

But, with each post involving a tragedy is a plant that has seen it's daily routine shattered. A worker injury and/or death affects the more than the victim and their family members. Co-workers, friends, suppliers, etc. are affected after an incident. 

How should manager(s) deal after a tragedy? 

Commonly managers have told the APSB, "I didn't know what to do, I was never trained, or I never experienced anything like that." 

Here are some tips.

• Stay firmly in charge! - let all employees know that you are concerned and doing all you can to help them. You represent the organization to your employees, and your caring presence can mean a great deal in helping them feel supported.
• Ask for support from higher management! - ask for help, such as temporary employees to lighten your burden of administrative work can make it easier to focus on helping your employees and your organization return to normal functioning. If you are the boss, the APSB would suggest contacting consulting firms that deal with grief counseling. 
• Don't "keep a stiff upper lip" or advise anybody else to do so.- In other words, it is alright to cry. Let people know, in whatever way is natural for you, that you are feeling fear, grief, shock, anger, or whatever your natural reaction to the situation may be. This shows that you are human, and that you care about them.
• Share information with your employees as soon as you have it available.- Don't be afraid to say "I don't know", particularly in the first few hours after a tragedy. If you can be advocate in obtaining information , you will show your employees you care and help lessen anxiety. Telling your workers in a group instead of one at a time will ensure your message has not been altered. 
• Encourage employees to talk about their painful experiences.-This maybe hard to do, but it eases healing as people express their painful thoughts and feelings in a safe environment. They will hopefully will come to the realization that their feelings are normal and shared by others. You may want to have a mental health professional come in to facilitate a special meeting for this purpose. Don't be afraid to participate, and to set a positive example by discussing your own feelings openly. Your example says more than words.
• Build on the strengths of the group.- Encourage employees to take care of one another through such simple measures as measures as listening to those in distress, offering practical help, visiting the hospitalized. The more you have done to build a cohesive work group, and to foster self-confidence in your employees, the better your staff can help one another in a crisis.
• Build on your work's group prior planning.-If you have talked together about how you, as a group, would handle a hypothetical crisis, it will help prepare all employees, mentally and piratically to deal with a real one.
• Be aware of the healing value of work.- Getting back to the daily routine can be a comforting experience, and most people can work productively while still dealing with grief and trauma.

The above mentioned information was adapted from a useful document from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Further information can be found here.

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