ABSTRACT
If culture provides the “planning”, then operations provides the “doing” of the organization. Operations is where the undertaking is transformed from an idea into a reality and is, therefore, where the most immediate risks to safety occur. For this reason, it is where safety professionals tend to focus their attention. Coordinating operations goes beyond allocating shifts and forecasting production quotas. The operational environment is also concerned with micro environments brought to the organization. Operational planning extends beyond ensuring the right number of personnel are rostered to work each day. Planning for operations should initially include the three states of operation—normal, abnormal, and exceptional. Planning specifically for emergencies is somewhat different to planning for exceptional operational conditions. Contingency planning may well be an outcome of identifying threats to the organization through general preparedness planning.
