Over the last year, many communities have faced large riots and protests that destroyed public and private property and resulted in hundreds of injuries. While these events carry a certain amount of unpredictability, an organization's planning and response to these events can minimize losses, and most importantly, keep people safe. 

The latest "Out Front Ideas with Kimberly and Mark" webinar included a panel discussing the risk management challenges associated with civil unrest. Our guests included:

• Anas Al-Hamwi, senior director occupational health & injury management, Walgreens
• Renata Elias, senior vice president, consulting solutions, Marsh
• Barry Scott, deputy director of finance, risk manager, City of Philadelphia
• Thomas Simoncic, president, property Americas, Sedgwick

Protect, prepare and partner

No response is effective without proper planning and preparedness measures. Employers should consider their situational readiness by identifying tools that exist within their infrastructure, particularly their partnerships. Engaging industry peers, local community leaders and municipalities create a network of advisors to assist with early communications to all stakeholders. If there are multiple operations locations, empower your leaders at each site to make the right decisions by giving them the tools they need to execute proper procedures.