Guidelines for Emergency & Crisis Organisation & Preparedness

Act number:: UFV 2012/69
Decision maker:: Vice-Chancellor
Processing body:: Security and safety division
Contact:: Säkerhetsavdelningen, security@uu.se
Document type:: Guidelines
Category:: Security
Decision date:: 28 February 2012
Reviewed:: 12 June 2024

Introduction

The activities of Uppsala University are extensive, and are carried out both in Sweden and internationally. An emergency situation normally arises with very short notice or no notice at all. Effective emergency and crisis organisation and preparedness are important tools for handling incidents, and minimising damage and injury to employees, students and the University's activities in general.

The overall objective of these guidelines is to ensure that the University's emergency and crisis organisation and preparedness work smoothly, and that such be characterised by good leadership, clearly defined tasks, as well as trained employees ready and prepared to support activities when emergencies and crises arise.

A manager, when required, shall be able to obtain support in handling an emergency or crisis situation in accordance with these guidelines. The University believes that most incidents are best handled where they arise, and that the manager is the key person responsible for handling the situation.

According to the provisions of the Swedish Work Environment Authority, each workplace must possess the preparedness and procedures for first aid and crisis support needed for the specific nature, extent and risks of the activities carried out there.[1] This implies that the University is obliged to appraise the need of preparedness in its activities and how such shall be formulated in order to fulfil the identified requirements.

The University's emergency and crisis organisation and preparedness have been formulated so as to be able to manage incidents both in Sweden and abroad.

The Vice-Chancellor has resolved that these Guidelines for Emergency & Crisis Organisation & Preparedness shall enter into force on 28 February 2012 and replace the Emergency & Crisis Management Plan for Uppsala University registered under number 2008/1026. These guidelines are designed initially for all managers and equivalent, and the University's management.

_{[1] First Aid and Crisis Support - AFS 1999:7}

What is an emergency or crisis situation?

Uppsala University's emergency and crisis preparedness has been formulated to provide support to the University's management and managers when handling emergencies and crises, which in this context can be of various kinds – such as events that affect individuals or groups of people, or that concern activities or the organisation as a whole.

An emergency or crisis can be a serious incident characterised, for example, by:
striking suddenly, unexpectedly and unpredictably;
being beyond the control of those concerned and/or Uppsala University;
causing significant changes in life and/or human suffering;
being perceived as representing a serious threat against an individual, group and/or organisation;
damaging trust and confidence in Uppsala University.

Such incidents can include sudden death, accident, threat, violence, serious abuse and/or witnessing other people suffer. Other examples are incidents that could seriously impair the University's infrastructure such as severe damage, extensive sabotage, fire, or similar. Further incidents that could trigger an emergency or crisis include cheating, fraud, embezzlement and serious shortcomings in the work environment.

The manager's responsibility

Uppsala University's emergency and crisis organisation and preparedness are based on an approach where most incidents are best handled where they arise, and that each manager is the key person responsible for handling an incident – sometimes with the help and support of internal and/or external resources. A manager's responsibility for activities and personnel remains during an emergency or crisis, and it is therefore the manager who shall contact, when applicable, a member of the Emergency & Crisis Organisation for support in handling an incident, and to inform their superior and/or other persons. The University will provide the manager with support resources to handle crises via the Emergency & Crisis Organisation. The manager may seek support from his or her superior or a member of the Emergency & Crisis Organisation in order to assess the incident and need for support. In certain cases, an incident may be of such magnitude or nature that responsibility for handling the incident, further to a decision by the Emergency & Crisis Committee, be transferred from the manager concerned to the Emergency & Crisis Organisation. In such cases, the manager shall nonetheless actively cooperate in the related management process.

A manager shall have the following responsibilities:

To continue, even during a time of emergency or crisis, to be answerable for activities, employees and, when applicable, students;
To prepare procedures for emergency and crisis management, including information during a time of emergency or crisis; o When applicable, to contact the Emergency & Crisis Management Group(s) for support;
To inform employees and, when applicable, students of prevailing guidelines and procedures with regard to emergencies and crises;
To ensure that contact-lists of employees and their relatives be available so that rapid contact can be established with employees and/or their relatives when required.

Support for the preparation of procedures is available in each respective Emergency & Crisis Management Group and at the HR division's website, the HR Guide.

The Vice-Chancellor's responsibility

The Vice-Chancellor has ultimate responsibility for activities at Uppsala University, which also embraces responsibility for emergency and crisis organisation and preparedness. The Vice-Chancellor is obliged to keep the University Board informed of significant emergencies and crises. The ViceChancellor is also obliged to be available in order to take requisite public-authority decisions during an ongoing emergency or crisis situation.

Emergency & Crisis Organisation

The University's Emergency & Crisis Organisation has been designed to effectively support activities during emergencies and incidents that could trigger a crisis.

The Emergency & Crisis Organisation is composed of three groups: the Emergency & Crisis

Committee, the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Employees & Students, and the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Infrastructure. The Emergency & Crisis Committee is mobilised for major incidents. The two Emergency & Crisis Management Groups work operatively with support upon emergency and crisis incidents, as well as assisting managers to prepare procedures for emergency and crisis management.

Emergency & Crisis Committee

The following persons are members of the Emergency & Crisis Committee:

University Director (chairperson)
Deputy Vice-Chancellor
Head of the Student Affairs and Academic Registry Division
Communications Director
Human Resources Director
Head of Security (convener)

Additional persons may be called in to join the Emergency & Crisis Committee further to the appraisal of each situation, for example:

Head of the Division for UT and Procurement; Head of the Legal Affairs Division
Vice-rector, dean, department head/equivalent, head of faculty office – when concerned  Other concerned and/or relevant persons to manage the incident

Upon a major crisis, the principal responsibilities of the Emergency & Crisis Committee include the following:

To lead and plan emergency and crisis management
To continuously inform the Vice-Chancellor
To assemble and chart the need of internal and external resources
To coordinate proceedings and allocate tasks
To coordinate internal and external information
To coordinate contacts with the neighbouring community and other public authorities
To coordinate collaboration with other public authorities and external resources
To follow up measures and action taken.

Substitutes have been appointed for all positions in the Emergency & Crisis Committee.

The members of the Emergency & Crisis Committee shall attend regular relevant training and exercises. The Emergency & Crisis Committee shall be mobilised further to a decision taken by the Vice-Chancellor, chairperson or his/her substitute, who shall also determine the degree of mobilisation of additional persons/positions.

Emergency & Crisis Management Groups

In addition to the Emergency & Crisis Committee, the University's organisation is composed of two Emergency & Crisis Management Groups with preparedness to support managers to handle incidents. The two groups have different areas of responsibility and collaborate when such is deemed to benefit the related management process. The Emergency & Crisis Management Groups are responsible for the evaluation and continuous further-development of procedures concerning incident management. The Emergency & Crisis Management Groups shall regularly attend relevant training and exercises.

Upon an emergency or crisis situation, the responsibilities of the Emergency & Crisis Management Groups include the following:

Assess the situation and need of internal and external support resources
Assemble requisite functions and key persons for emergency and crisis management
The coordinator shall be responsible for providing ongoing information to the Emergency &

Crisis Committee regarding any serious incidents that may arise

Establish contact with external suppliers of crisis support
Plan, lead and assign tasks related to emergency and crisis management
Support managers concerned in the management of incidents
Maintain a logbook of times and action taken
Follow up each incident

Emergency & Crisis Management Group – Employees & Students

The Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Employees & Students shall have management preparedness to support managers concerned where employees and/or students are affected. Incidents could include, for example, sudden death, accidents, serious work environment problems, abuse or other situations where employees or students are affected.

The following persons are included in the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Employees & Students:

A coordinator/convener from the HR Division o Three representatives from the HR Division
One representative from the Student Affairs and Academic Registry Division, Study

Counsellors and Career Office o One representative from the Student Department, International Office o One representative from the Division for Communication and External Relations o One representative from the Student Health Service

Committee, the coordinator of the Emergency & Crisis Management Group, the Human Resources Director or their substitutes, following an assessment of requirements and depending on the nature of the emergency or crisis. Continual collaboration shall be maintained with the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Infrastructure further to an assessment by the coordinators of each respective Emergency & Crisis Management Group.

All or part of the Emergency & Crisis Management Group shall be mobilised further to an assessment and decision by the Emergency & Crisis Committee, the coordinator of the Emergency & Crisis Management Group and the HR Director or their substitutes.

Emergency & Crisis Management Group – Infrastructure

Uppsala University has requisite preparedness to handle situations concerning property-related incidents, such as theft of items from the University's culture and museum collections, serious damage, fire, extensive sabotage of infrastructure, threat, violence and personal safety/security. The Swedish Risk Management Ordinance (1995:1300) states that each public authority shall take the action and measures required to limit risks and to prevent damage and loss.

The following persons are included in the Emergency & Crisis Management Group –

Infrastructure o Head of Security (coordinator/convener) o Assistant Head of Security

One representative from the Division for IT and Procurement – Office for Information

Security and Passage System o One representative from the Division for Communication and External Relations

One representative from the Legal Affairs Division

The representatives shall be appointed by the University Director (each head of division respectively), who shall also appoint substitutes. Other persons may be called in to join the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Infrastructure, further to a decision by the Emergency & Crisis Committee, the Head of Security or their substitutes, following an assessment of requirements and depending on the nature of the emergency or crisis. Continual collaboration shall be maintained with the Emergency & Crisis Management Group for Employees & Students further to an assessment by the coordinators of each respective crisis management group.

Sundry

The University Director shall ensure that divisional heads, within their respective areas of responsibility, prepare and elucidate procedures for emergency and crisis management. Such procedures shall be reported each year to the Emergency & Crisis Committee in conjunction with the activity planning.

The Communications Director shall be responsible for support with regard to questions related to communication and information.
The Human Resources Director shall be responsible for support with regard to psychological and psychosocial crisis support for employees and students.
The Head of Security shall be responsible for support with regard to emergencies and crises related to infrastructure and safety/security.

The aforementioned support shall embrace continual training, information and support to the Emergency & Crisis Committee, the Emergency & Crisis Management Groups, the University's management and other managers, and that suitable external support be on call when required. Moreover, the Human Resources Director shall inform the student unions each year of the guidelines and procedures currently in force with regard to emergencies and crises.

Information and communication

Upon emergency and crisis situations, it is important that internal and external information be coordinated and functions smoothly. Contacts with mass-media and information to the neighbouring community shall be handled by a person designated as spokesperson, or the Communications Director. Each manager or person designated by a manager shall ensure that employees and/or students quickly receive relevant information about an incident.