I. Introduction
a. The Site:
The site that is accessed is BP at this URL: http://www.bp.com/ . It provides access to various information about BP including company information and historical background; as well as portals to products and services, sustainability, investors, press, careers, and the Gulf of Mexico restoration .
b. The Goal of the Company:
world in a safe and responsible way” . As such, it was also indicated that through the products and services produced by BP, the organization is enabled to “provide customers with fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, lubricants to keep engines moving and the petrochemicals products used to make everyday items” .
c. Key Elements of the Supply Chain:
The key elements of the supply chain for a gas station include: “refining, logistics, marketing, and supply and trading” . These are considered upstream as they produce products that are to be delivered to the refill stations where consumers allegedly purchase the end-products.
d. Kinds of effects would business disruptions/emergencies have on the company:
Business disruptions or emergency situations would have the following effects on the company: (1) entailment of costs due to disruptions, injuries, or damages that could be sustained; (2) excessive costs could cause financial losses; (3) significant injuries or damages could cause negative impact on the image of the company; (4) significant losses
could even cause bankruptcy.
II. Potential Emergencies
- Potential Emergencies for the company:
The potential emergencies in the company are as follows: (1) fire; (2) spillage of flammable fuels; (3) explosion; (4) contamination of fuel or petrol; (5) injuries; and (6) threat posed from the following situations: violence, personal injuries, or even robbery . Each of the potential emergency can happen as detailed: (1) fire could happen when one of the customers have a lighter or match and ignited the flame within the flammable area; (2) spillage of flammable fuels could occur during downloading of fuels from transport to refill stations, as well as from refill units to the vehicles; (3) explosion could occur due to accidents or significant fire that ensued; (4) contamination of fuel or petrol could occur when these come into contact (accidentally) with any parts of the body of the personnel or clients; (5) injuries could be sustained through slips, falls, or other work-related situations; and (6) threat posed from the identified situations could occur when customers and petrol personnel could have ensued some form of conflict or disagreements. Likewise, robberies could also cause injuries and harm when thieves impose threat to solicit funds or other resources from the gas or petrol stations.
- Likelihood and potential consequences:
- One emergency
- Prevent the emergency from happening in the first place:
One of the most potential emergencies that has a strong likelihood of happening is fire; and this emergency could be controlled from happening in the first place through warning signs and preventive measures.
- Steps for preventing the emergency from happening in the first place:
- Clearly and explicitly provide warning signs that smoking and igniting lighters or matches is not allowed within three (3) meters from sources of flammable materials;
- Clearly post signs of presence of flammable materials to indicate their location; posts of dangerous goods locations as well as spill and fire water containment plans must be communicated and clearly laid out;
- Order switching off the vehicles’ engine while refueling;
- Be vigilant and monitor refilling of storage tanks to prevent overfilling and potential spillage;
- Ensure that fill and dip caps; as well as fuel caps in vehicles are tightly clasp to prevent spillage;
- Ensure the “suitability of containers being filled at dispensers for use, i.e. container condition and material, the presence of an effective cap, correct labelling. Containers shall not be filled when inside a vehicle
compartment” ;
- Communicate “specific instructions that do not allow the filling of plastic containers that do not comply with AS/NZS 2906 or equivalent Standard” ;
- Ensure that floors are not washed or spilled with flammable materials;
- Train personnel in addressing fire-related accidents through knowledge of emergency procedures;
- Communicate and post emergency numbers to call in case of fire-related emergencies.
- The emergency’s effects (internal and external elements of the supply chain):
As above noted, the emergency’s effects are as follows: (1) incurrence of costs due to disruptions, injuries, or damages that could be sustained; (2) excessive costs which could cause financial losses; (3) significant injuries or damages could cause negative impact on the image of the company; (4) significant losses could even cause bankruptcy. These would disrupt and damage elements of the supply chain such as the marketing, supply, and trading of fuels in designated gas stations.
- Elements that must be in place in order to get business back in place as soon as possible:
The elements that must be in place in order to get the business back in place as soon as possible would include: (1) complete assessment of the damage sustained by the fire including all resources, equipment, materials that were burned or damaged and need replacement; (2) replace needed resources, equipment, and materials as identified from the complete assessment; (3) ensure that all warning signs have been posted; (4) ensure that all fire extinguishing equipment are in place; (5) ensure that all personnel have been re-oriented and trained to address emergency situations that could ensue from potential fire incidents; and (6) ensure that emergency procedures have been communicated, including contact numbers and persons assigned to address fire-related incidents.
III. Summary
- The main emergency related issues that management should be concerned about
are fire-related incidents that are identified to have a strong likelihood to happen due to presence of flammable materials.
Proper communication, posting of warning signs, and training of personnel to address emergency situations related to fire (with detailed steps noted above).
- In case of this emergency were to occur, continuity plans should be made as follows:
A complete assessment of the damage that was sustained; replacing of all resources, equipment, and materials that were burned or damaged (including warning signs); re-orientation and training of all personnel regarding addressing fire-related incidences; and ensuring that emergency procedures and contact information have been properly disseminated and communicated to all personnel.
Reference List
BP, 2013. Sustainability Review 2013. [Online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/pdf/sustainability/group-reports/BP_Sustainability_Review_2013.pdf[Accessed 26 March 2014].
BP, 2014. Downstream. [Online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/about-bp/company-information/group-organization/downstream.html[Accessed 26 March 2014].
BP, 2014. Home:BP. [Online] Available at: http://www.bp.com/[Accessed 26 March 2014].
Health and Safety Authority, 2014. Emergency Response Plan for Petrol Stations. [Online] Available at: http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Your_Industry/Petrol_Stations/Emergency_Response_for_Petrol_Stations.pdf[Accessed 26 March 2014].
