Preparedness Saves Lives: The Need for ESG and SOPs

Safeguarding Our Future: Why Every Organization-either School or Business Needs ESG and SOPs

The anguishing event highlights why schools, companies, and governments worldwide need to implement strong standard operating procedures (SOPs) and prioritize environmental, social, and governance (ESG) safeguards. Proper emergency planning and responsible operating practices could have prevented or minimized this toxicity.

A heartbreaking incident in a small town in Sri Lanka reveals the high cost of being unprepared. On August 8, 2023, a fire erupted at a nearby chemical factory, sending toxic fumes throughout the community. Nearly 200 students at the St. Sebastian Girls’ School suffered breathing difficulties and required hospitalization after inhaling the smoke. Tragically, one person lost his life.

While faulting others won’t undo the damage, we can honor the victims by learning from this sorrow. Our children’s lives are too precious not to reflect on how to avert future disasters. This is a clarion call to act with wisdom so families need never again endure the nightmare of receiving a frantic call that their child is being rushed to the ER.

The Time for Change is Now

What parent does not ache imagining the terror those girls experienced when smoke began seeping into their classrooms? The burning in their eyes and throats as they gasped for breath? The utter helplessness knowing something was deeply wrong but not knowing what to do?

Every child deserves to feel secure at school. Yet when crisis struck, these students were vulnerable. Teachers work valiantly to protect our children, but can only do so much without robust protocols and infrastructure in place. Schools and businesses worldwide must strengthen their preparation so communities can quickly respond to minimize harm.

While the chemical factory bore direct responsibility for safe operations, systemic readiness also failed these students. From school evacuation drills to environmental reviews of neighboring plants, multiple levels of preparation could have spared much hardship. This incident reveals gaps across private and public institutions, demanding reflection on what we can do better together as a society. It is natural to feel disheartened, but we cannot allow sorrow to breed apathy. Our children’s lives hang in the balance.

Beyond those hospitalized, hundreds more children were traumatized knowing their friends fell ill. Trust in the safety of the air they breathe was shaken. Families helplessly waited, praying symptoms would not worsen overnight. Though recovery thankfully occurred, the emotional scars may linger for years. We owe it to our sons and daughters to transform this pain into progress.

The Need for Emergency Preparedness

Events like this chemical leak or fire in a chemical factory reveal how quickly disaster can strike. Despite best intentions, a single spark or valve failure can unleash catastrophe with little warning. All organizations must plan for this sobering reality. Yet preparedness is about more than just evacuation maps and fire extinguishers. It is a mindset, a way of operating focused on continual improvement.

Preparedness minimizes harm through layers of protection: hazard awareness, prevention programs, alarm systems, containment infrastructure, emergency training, public notification protocols, first aid capacity, and community coordination. It means learning from near misses to avoid future tragedies. No single measure is perfect, but together they create a shield of safety.

For schools, preparedness might involve:

• Quarterly drills to practice evacuations, lockdowns, and shelter-in-place
• Stocking air filters (if necessary) and portable fans to create clean air shelters
• Storing water, food, first aid kits, and go-bags for prolonged lockdowns
• Screening nearby environmental and security hazards
• Conducting hazard vulnerability assessments to identify risks
• Reviewing emergency protocols annually with staff and students
• Installing outdoor mass notification systems with PA, strobes, and text capability
• Maintaining permanent records of emergency contacts and medical needs
• Forming school safety committees with parent involvement
• Securing access points and conducting visitor screening

We must apply the same rigor to business. Responsible companies developing chemical plants or industrial facilities have a duty to safeguard communities. Protocols for transparency, inspection, maintenance, release prevention, and emergency response should match the scale of potential hazards.

Through foresight and diligence, we can avoid needless harm. But progress requires that businesses and institutions make preparedness a top priority now, before the next crisis erupts.

Learning from Repetitive Environmental History

This tragic emergency in Sri Lanka was unfortunately not an isolated incident. In recent years, toxic smog episodes had also caused massive public health crises in India and China. In northern India, smoke from crop burning combined with industrial emissions created severe air pollution every winter. In late 2022, toxic smog from this region even impaired air quality and weather patterns in Sri Lanka over 1,000 miles away. Similarly, Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai routinely faced hazardous smog from heavy coal use and rampant growth outpacing environmental protections.

These disturbing cases revealed an urgent need for proactive reforms before entire regions became uninhabitable. Our environmental interdependence meant waiting for disaster to strike first was not an option. The time for incremental measures had passed; solving epic crises like air pollution would require bold new interventions, investments, and policies enacting sweeping systemic change. The possibility of a sustainable future hinged on taking decisive action starting now.

The Critical Role of ESG

At its core, robust emergency preparedness stems from a workplace culture recognizing certain values: environmental stewardship, human welfare, ethical operations, accountability. In short, an ESG mindset, aka Environmental, Social, & Governance.

ESG refers to a framework measuring the societal impact of organizations beyond financial metrics alone. “E” stands for environmental criteria like energy use, pollution, and climate footprint. “S” represents social factors including worker treatment, diversity, and community health. “G” reflects governance issues of executive pay, transparency, and integrity.

A company can profess lofty values, but its ESG score indicates whether it walks the talk. ESG drives the priorities and behaviors that shape community risk every day. The difference between a toxic release and harmless water vapor often traces back to choices guided by ESG worldview.

Beyond the moral imperative, strong ESG practices also make pragmatic sense. Companies are far more profitable when they earn public trust through ethical conduct. Workers are more loyal to employers who demonstrate care, inclusion, and purpose beyond the bottom line. Investors increasingly seek out high ESG performers for their resilience against regulatory, reputational, and operational risks.

In this light, emergency preparedness is part of intelligent ESG practice, not just altruistic charity. Workplaces protective of employee health foster higher retention and productivity. Vigilant maintenance and inspections avert catastrophic failure. Engaging the community builds crucial social capital to draw on in crisis.

Every policy, process, purchase, and project offers a chance to align operations with ethics. We can always choose door number two: the safer substitute, the more diverse supplier, the energy-efficient upgrade, the transparency initiative. Compounding many small improvements creates a cascade effect toward the just, equitable, and sustainable organization the world needs.

Progress Takes All of Us

Government, schools, businesses, communities, and families must work in concert to make continuous improvements. Complacency and fragmented efforts will only breed more grief. We honor those affected by this tragedy through steadfast focus on doing better.

Our children’s lives are precious beyond measure. Their safety should motivate emergency preparedness as an act of love. Let this painful incident open conversations on how we can protect our sons and daughters from foreseeable harm. We may not be able to prevent every accident, but through care and diligence, we can certainly avoid many.

With public policies and resources, government can strengthen school preparedness standards, build community emergency communication systems, and enforce responsible business practices.

Businesses must integrate safety into operations with the same rigor as productivity and profits. They should engage openly with communities about risks and preparedness programs. Workers too must stay vigilant to hazards, voice concerns, and follow emergency protocols.

Schools need adequate budgets to train staff, upgrade facilities, and drill students on safety procedures. Parents can demand robust plans and volunteer expertise. Students also bear responsibility for behaving appropriately during crises.

We all have a role to play in speaking up when standards fall short. Small actions collectively transform cultures and institutions. The time is now to turn caring into concrete progress. Our children deserve no less.