ABSTRACT
The most frequently cited response for initial contact with workers was ‘several days later’ (69.7 per cent), followed by ‘one week later’ (21.2 per cent) and ‘day of
the earthquake’ (6.1 per cent). It is clear from these results that companies were unable to determine their employees’ situations until several days after the earthquake. Moreover, the fact that fully one-fifth of companies were only able to contact workers a week later suggests that it took even longer to restore business functions. This highlights the importance of establishing an emergency contact system not only in order to contact workers but to maintain business functions. The main form of contact cited was ‘by telephone’ (90.9 per cent), followed by ‘staff came in person’ (42.4 per cent) and ‘other staff visited’ (39.4 per cent). It should be noted, however, that contact by telephone was possible only because, the telephone lines were operational despite a certain amount of overloading. Trying to establish contact in times of emergency by sending around corporate staff or having the workers themselves coming in runs the risk of adding to local confusion, and as such remains problematic in terms of appropriate disaster response.
