In 2022, Wisse Kommunikatie developed a crisis communication plan for Tanatex Chemicals in Ede. As part of the collaboration, we also recorded the messaging that can be used in the event of an incident and provided interview training to Tanatex's spokespersons.
Tanatex Chemicals B.V. develops, produces and sells chemical aids for the textile industry. When the Chinese parent company took over the production location in Ede in 2016, a start was made immediately with the professionalization of the safety policy. The factory in Ede is a so-called 'Seveso facility', which is subject to high demands with regard to external safety. Responsibility for this lies with Harm Zweedijk, the manager Quality, Health, Environment & Safety.
To gain a good understanding of the risks of the various installations, the risks have been systematically exposed and mapped through safety studies in accordance with a multi-year plan. Emergency scenarios were then selected from the identified risks and included in an up-to-date company emergency plan in order to streamline and safeguard the control thereof.
Tanatex realised that professional support was also needed to manage internal and external communications in the event of calamities.
24/7 support and more
Tanatex contacted Wisse Kommunikatie, which has concluded a contract with over fifty organisations for communication support during crises. This contract includes 24/7 support in the form of advice, media monitoring, press contacts and the production of communication materials. Tanatex concluded a crisis communication contract with a term of three years, and in addition a step-by-step plan for the development and organisation of crisis communication was drawn up.
The next step was to formulate the messages and information that are relevant in the event of a crisis. Based on an extensive intake form, a tour of the factory and a series of interviews with directly involved parties, a number of standard content components were eventually created; including information about the company, the activities on the site, the production processes, the stored chemicals and the safety policy. During a crisis situation, this information can be quickly (re)used as desired, which saves a lot of valuable time.
The standard content components are not only very effective for the (written) provision of information to the media, but they also form the guideline for the spokespersons, so that they can respond correctly and without hesitation to aspects such as safety policy, chemical substances and production processes. In order to properly internalize these messages and information and to gain experience in speaking to journalists, the spokespersons - the communication advisor, QHES manager, plant manager and operational director - received media and interview training.
The third step consisted of compiling the crisis communication plan, which describes the tasks, responsibilities and procedures for crisis communication. A practical and quick-scan document of less than ten pages was chosen, which is divided into the various activities that are important in a crisis situation:
Thanks to address lists of internal stakeholders, external agencies and media, supplemented with various useful checklists, those involved can quickly collect the correct information and take the right measures.
The Tanatex crisis communication plan is a supplement to the company's emergency plan, which describes various scenarios for dealing with incidents involving work processes and chemical substances, in order to minimize the adverse effects on people, the environment, production processes and the company.