Contingency Planning: Implementation Is The Key

ABSTRACT The two basic components of oil spill contingency planning are developing the plan and implementing the plan. An organization with an effective oil spill contingency plan will have considered both components. Armed with thick oil spill contingency plans, companies expect to be able to respond adequately to major oil spills. For several reasons, this expectation may be unrealistic. For example, the plans may incorporate inadequate appraisals of available response assets, they may have been developed merely to satisfy regulatory requirements, or they may fail to consider various spill scenarios. Plans based on unattainable or unrealistic expectations end up on the shelf collecting dust. Thus, one of the first things to consider in contingency planning is what the plan will be expected to do. Another factor in the effectiveness of a contingency plan is its format. Oil spill contingency plans that are comprehensive and easy to use are essential. It is useful to divide the plan into three major sections: response procedures, background information, and scenario development. The response procedures section should be relatively short and contain step-by-step procedures to be followed during a spill response. The background information section should contain the background information accumulated during the planning period. The scenario development section should contain the scenarios identified for various spill sizes. An excellent contingency plan is of limited value if it is not effectively implemented. Effective implementation requires that everyone in the response and planning organization know the company's ideas, policies, and strategies regarding oil spill response, understands his or her roles and responsibilities in preparing for and carrying out a response, and is committed to carrying out the program. Implementation is often difficult because it involves changing the organization's way of doing things. When the way an organization does business does not match a new program being implemented, leadership is required to match them, either by changing the way of doing business or by changing the program. Changing a new program could be as simple as making a decision. Changing the way an organization does business is a process and is usually very difficult, especially in a large, complex organization like an oil company.