Section 7

Emergency Action Plans

GENERAL
Every Bechtel construction site will have plans to respond to emergency events such as major
accidents, illness, fire, work stoppages, weather, economic disruption, or terrorist disruptions.
These plans will include site specific emergency response and management notification
requirements after an event has occurred. A copy of Site Managers Manual Instruction S2.3,
Emergency Planning is included as Attachment 7-1.
From these plans, the Superintendent must locate the emergency response team roster (if
required), and the chain of management notification established for the project. The Site
Manager and the Safety Representative should be notified immediately when an accident occurs.
The Safety Representative is typically responsible to coordinate all responses to accidents. The
Site Manager is responsible to notify appropriate Bechtel management as soon as possible after
an event occurs. It is imperative that the Superintendent be aware of the right notification
procedures in the event of an emergency, including the appropriate contact phone numbers.
Bechtel Public Relations has developed an Emergency Communications Planning Kit which is
intended to assist the Site Manager and other members of the project team to prepare for and
manage emergencies if and when they occur. This planning kit should be available at the
construction site and provides the Superintendent with valuable information on the types of
actions that are required to be taken in the event of an emergency.
Project Emergency Plans
In addition to the routine communication among field personnel, the Superintendent must
promptly respond to emergency events. This includes the timely notification of appropriate
Bechtel management personnel. To provide a consistent process for responding to emergency
events, each Bechtel project has established a contingency plan to deal with emergency
conditions such as:
Serious injuries

Fires

Work stoppages

Severe storms

Other events that could threaten personnel safety or could damage to site equipment and
structures

This plan specifies certain communications that must be made in the event of an emergency. The
Superintendent must be familiar with these communication requirements and follow them in the
event of a project emergency. Upon arriving at a new project site, the Superintendent should ask
for copies of the site specific emergency procedures to understand emergency reporting and
response requirements.
Press Relations

During or shortly after a site emergency it is not unusual for members of the press to visit the site
to gather information about the emergency for publication. It is also common practice for

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members of the press to request specific details about the project and may solicit direct quotes
from Bechtel employees related to the event.
As a result, you need to be aware of Bechtel directives that prohibit jobsite employees from
releasing any information related to the project, and specifically emergency events, to the press
corps or any media service. The Site Manager will have access to appropriate Bechtel personnel
authorized for press releases, and only these employees will provide information to the press.
Attachment 7-2 provides general guidance on planning for emergencies and dealing with the
press during the emergency. Unless specifically authorized to do so:
THE SUPERINTENDENT SHOULD NOT MAKE ANY STATEMENTS TO THE
PRESS REGARDING THE PROJECT OR PROJECT INCIDENTS.
If approached by a reporter or other member of the media, decline all questions and escort the
person to the Site Manager. It may also be appropriate to involve site security personnel if the
media has entered the project illegally.

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Section 7

SITE MANAGERS MANUAL INSTRUCTION 2.3

EMERGENCY PLANNING
ATTACHMENT 7-1

Instruction S2.3

Emergency Planning
1.0

PURPOSE
This instruction establishes requirements for the preparation of emergency contingency
plans as required by corporate policy.

2.0

SCOPE
This instruction is applicable to all construction projects under the administrative control of
Bechtel Construction Operations.

3.0

DEFINITIONS

3.1

Emergency Condition
An emergency condition may include:
Political or economic disruptions

Public demonstrations or civil disturbances

Terrorist activities

Manmade disasters such as bombings, arson, or sabotage

Natural disasters such as floods, fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes

4.0

REFERENCES

4.1

Corporate Policy No. 109, Emergency Planning

5.0

RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1

Site Manager
The Site Manager is responsible to ensure that appropriate emergency contingency plans
are in place for the project prior to site mobilization. If plans have not been prepared, the
Site Manager is responsible for preparing the project emergency contingency plans.

6.0

REQUIREMENTS

6.1

Site emergency contingency plans for political or economic disruptions, public

demonstrations or civil disturbances, terrorist activities, and manmade disasters such as
bombings, arson, or sabotage shall be prepared by the Site Manager and approved by the
Construction Manager, the Project Manager and the Senior Bechtel Representative at the

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construction site. Contingency plans should be assigned a security classification

commensurate with the information's sensitivity.
6.2

On international projects constructed by Bechtel Construction International Company, the

following personnel shall be notified when the plan is implemented:
Responsible Executive Sponsor

Senior Regional Executive

Manager of Security

Responsible Construction Company Vice President

6.3

On projects constructed in the United States and Canada by either Bechtel Construction
Company or Becon Construction Company, Inc., the responsible Construction Company
Vice President shall be notified when the plan is implemented.

6.4

As a minimum, contingency plans must:

a. Maintain current information on the location of Bechtel employees and dependents
and on personal data including names, citizenship, visa status, passport
information and emergency contact information
b. Be kept current and reviewed at least annually
c. Be compatible with site contract negotiations
d. Be consistent with the current appraisal of conditions and potential threats
e. Include an Emergency Communications Section to provide appropriate and timely
public communications following an emergency
f. Define all available emergency evacuation methods including airline, boat, land, and
embassy refuge

6.5

For international projects, the project emergency contingency plans must be reviewed and
approved as a minimum by the Construction Manager, Project Manager, and the Manager
of Security.
g.
h.

i.
j.

Depending on the location and nature of the project, additional approvals may be
required as determined by the Project Manager and the Manager of Security.
When there are several projects in one country or geographical region, the project
contingency plan should be incorporated as part of a country or region wide
contingency plan.
Embassy refuge contingency plans should be coordinated with designated embassies
in the country prior to implementing the plan
A copy of the approved plans should be routed to the Manager of Security for
information.

6.6

For projects constructed in the United States or Canada, the emergency contingency
plans must be approved by the Site Manager as a site procedure. A copy of the plans
should be forwarded to the Manager of Security for information.

6.7

Procurement will establish appropriate emergency transportation agreements to support

site contingency plans and will review those agreements at least annually or as conditions
change.

6.8

Security will provide the Site Manager assistance in the development of required
contingency plans including:
k.

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l. Guidelines to assist in plan preparation

m. An annual review of contingency plans
6.9

In some instances, Security will prepare certain emergency plans. For example, Security
will prepare a Kidnap Plan if that is a high risk threat in the area of the construction
project. The Site Manager should coordinate efforts with Security to determine those
aspects of site emergency planning that require plan preparation by Security.

6.10

The following telephone numbers are available 24 hours a day to report emergency
conditions that occur at the construction site:

6.11

Manager of Security

(415) 768-5146

Bechtel Security Control Center

(415) 768-3840

The Bechtel Security Control Center is available to assist projects as a crisis management
manager when a crisis situation arises. This might include satellite communications,
providing family member hotlines, providing project status reports during the crisis, and
assisting with evacuations. The role of the Bechtel Security Control Center in crisis
management should be defined in the project contingency plans.

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Emergency Action Plans

PLANNING FOR EMERGENCIES

ATTACHMENT 7-2

Many projects hesitate to even talk about emergency action planning. They feel that having a
plan is somehow an admission that the project will fail and that the project safety program will not
work. Contrary to this view, well managed projects know that even with a well managed safety
program, there is still a chance that something could go wrong on the project. To deny this
possibility is itself a poor management practice.
By planning for things that may go wrong, the project is demonstrating that it is proactively taking
steps to maintain control and minimize the potential impacts of unforeseen situations. An
emergency action plan helps to reduce project risk and increases client satisfaction.
Marketing Advantage
Emergency action plans can be used as a sales tool and can impress a potential client with
Bechtel's ability to respond to a wide range of emergency situations. This advance emergency
planning will reduce the clients project risk and may improve Bechtels evaluation by the client.
Looking at the converse, if an emergency does occur on the project and the media shows up
asking some very challenging questions, chances are good that the project will not present itself
well without an emergency plan in place. The result is a black eye for the project, the client, and
Bechtel. Bechtel's marketing capability with the owner would be dramatically reduced in this type
of situation.
Emergency Situations
Some typical project emergency situations may include:
On-the-job injury accidents

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods

Damage to utilities

Theft or sabotage

Labor disruption and work stoppages

Poor contractor performance or financial instability

Environmental violations

Sex discrimination charges on the project

There are of course many other emergency situations that could also be listed. The key to
emergency planning is to determine which emergencies has the greatest potential for impacting a
specific project
Emergency Management Team
The first step in emergency planning is to organize an emergency management team. No single
person has the capability to effectively handle a situation by themselves. It is a team effort
requiring people with different areas of expertise.
The selection of team members should not only be based on expertise but also a willingness to
work on the team. Team members must be responsible individuals who will implement the
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emergency plan quickly and effectively when needed. Selection of the emergency team can
make or break the effectiveness of the emergency plan if an actual emergency occurs. When an
emergency occurs, nothing is more important than getting the right person to the right place to
control the situation.
In selecting the number and composition of the emergency team, consider the most catastrophic
emergency that could happen on the project. Based on the situation, form a site team that
includes:
Team Leader

Spokesperson

Field Superintendent

Safety Representative

Liaison members should also be identified including:

Project Manager

Construction Manager

Human Resources

Procurement

Legal

Not every emergency will require participation of the full team. Only those with the necessary
expertise need to be involved in the actual management of the emergency. Some emergencies
may only require two members of the team; others may require more.
All the members of the team are important, however, two members are vital to the process. The
team leader and the spokesperson.
The Team Leader
The team leader on the project emergency management team may or may not be the Site
Manager depending on the emergency. The team leader is responsible for controlling the
emergency in the quickest manner possible and minimizing project impacts. The team leader
selects the key people to implement the emergency plan and is the recipient of all emergency
information. The team leader should be a good trouble shooter, be organized, and be willing to
commit the time to bring the emergency under control.
The Spokesperson
The spokesperson disseminates information about the emergency to the media, customers,
employees, and others as required. The spokesperson should be experienced in dealing with the
media and is typically either assigned by Bechtel Public Relations or by the client. It is important
to identify who this person is prior to an actual emergency. Once an actual emergency has
occurred, there may not be sufficient time to select a spokesperson for the project.
The duties of the spokesperson are to clearly and effectively communicate what is happening on
the project without the appearance of stonewalling or failing to provide complete information
about the incident. The expression No Comment should be avoided whenever possible because
of the potential impression that information is being suppressed. The appearance of stonewalling
the media can occur when:
1. The project team is not prepared
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2.
1.

Emergency Action Plans

The project team does not understand what the media needs and wants
The project team does not understand how to get the media to report their side of the story to
the general public and the client

Without the proper preparation and presentation, the media may provide a negative slant to their
initial coverage. Follow-up damage control press releases are often too little, too late. The
damage has already been done.
What the Media Needs
Understanding what the media needs is critical to avoiding the consequences of the wrong story
getting out to the public. The following are some common best practices in dealing with the
media:
DO talk to the media. When confronted, saying something, no matter how little, is better than
saying nothing. Explaining why you can't talk is better than stonewalling. If you don't tell your
side of the story, reporters will get a version elsewhere which may not be accurate or beneficial to
Bechtel.
DO tell the truth. Reporters will find out the facts anyway. Be honest and accurate in any
information you provide. There is often an assumption that company employees on the scene
know more than they actually do. It is not a crime to honestly admit that you do not know the
details of what happened. Under no circumstances relate theories or assumptions of what
happened. It may not be the truth.
DON'T say anything "off the record. You must assume that everything you say will be
reported.
DO respond quickly. If you don't respond quickly to the media, the wrong story may be told and
it may be difficult or impossible to erase later.
DON'T say "No Comment. This statement implies guilt. If you don't know the answer, tell the
reporter you don't know but that you will be happy to put him or her in contact with a project
spokesperson who can try to find the answer for them.
DO emphasize the positive and communicate your message. For example, remember to
emphasize the good safety measures taken, the minimal damage because of good project
teamwork, the efforts being taken to minimize the effects of the emergency on the local
community.
DO stay away from liability issues.
DON'T talk about who is responsible. Whatever you say may become part of a legal issue.
DON'T make accusations.
DO take control. If there is bad news, arrange to have it released through the proper channels.
DO make sure your information Is accurate. Verify all information as being correct before it is
released to the media. If you cannot absolutely verify the information as being correct and a
press release is required, ensure that the information is presented as preliminary.
DO make sure the reporters know who the spokesperson is. The official project
spokesperson should be the only one authorized to disseminate information to the media. It is
very important that the project speak with one voice and that all information is approved by
management prior to release.

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DON'T wear sunglasses when talking to the media. If you are confronted by a reporter, don't
wear sunglasses while you are talking to them. You may be perceived as being shifty or as hiding
something.
DO know how to contact your spokesperson. Emergencies can occur on nights, weekends,
and holidays or while people are on vacation. Maintain an emergency calling list to contact your
spokesperson quickly when needed.
The Emergency Action Plan
The written project emergency action plan should include:
3. An emergency contact list with names and telephone numbers of key client, Bechtel, and
contractor personnel who can either help to control the emergency or who must be
notified that an emergency situation has occurred. The list should include names,
position titles, and work/home/car phone numbers.
4. A current project employee list that can be used to contact employees.
5. A short summary of the project and any previous incidents that have occurred. These are
typical information requests by the media and having the information prepared in
advance will prevent a last minute scramble and the possibility of inaccurate information
being released.
2. A short summary of project accomplishments and recognitions. This information is often
overlooked during an emergency but can go a long way to putting the emergency
situation in the proper context.
The emergency action plan may be integrated into the Safety and Health Action Plan or other
project documents. In all cases, however, it must be readily accessible and personnel must be
trained on how to effectively implement the plan.

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