Incident Management Checklist

Why incident management matters

Incidents rarely unfold according to plan, and the quality of your response depends on preparation made long before the event. An incident management checklist gives you a structured way to anticipate disruption, assign responsibility, and move from detection through recovery without losing track of people, records, or money. It also helps you meet your obligations. Response activities for fires, spills, and medical emergencies must be performed in accordance with regulatory guidelines, and where a regulation such as OSHA applies you should follow it as written. The checklist supports that work rather than replacing your own legal or compliance advice.

What a good checklist covers

A complete incident management checklist spans the full lifecycle of an event: - **Threat response** and emergency response procedures - **Detection and preliminary assessment**, including a safe preliminary damage assessment and a detailed report to the incident administrator - **Team activation**, with notification to incident management team members, a description of the event, and instructions to gather at the crisis control center or connect by conference call - **Impact assessment** to determine whether the severity of the impact requires activating the recovery plan - **Recovery planning**, specifying priorities, recovery strategies, action plans, and tasks - **Support procedures** implemented across corporate communications, health and safety, facilities, finance, human resources, insurance, information technology, legal, office services, records management, safety and security, and transportation - **Audit procedures** to confirm policies and standards are upheld during recovery

Carrying out the process

Work through the checklist in the order the situation allows. If it can be done safely, conduct a preliminary damage assessment — but do not undertake recovery activities if personnel are in danger. Notify the incident administrator with a detailed report, then decide whether the severity of the impact requires activating the recovery plan. When you activate the plan, notify leaders and members of the recovery team about priorities, strategies, action plans, tasks, and reporting and communication procedures. If you are a subscriber, declare a disaster with your external continuity services and disaster recovery provider. Throughout recovery, keep the well-being and safety of employees in view, account for all personnel, and provide reports and recommendations to the incident management team as necessary.

Keeping recovery auditable

Recovery work carries its own risks. Consult on and provide guidance for changes to standard operating procedures that will be implemented during recovery work, and ensure that financial control and security policies, anti-fraud policies, and information security standards are upheld. Ensure funds are available for recovery, document all recovery expenses properly, and establish a recovery cost center so the financial impact of the incident can be estimated accurately.

Frequently Asked Questions

The checklist covers threat response, incident detection and preliminary assessment, activating the incident management team, impact assessment, activating the recovery plan, implementing support procedures, and audit procedures. It also assigns recovery duties to specific business functions, including corporate communications, health and safety, facilities, finance, human resources, insurance, information technology, legal, office services, records management, safety and security, and transportation.

Health and safety items call for ensuring the well-being and safety of employees, performing response activities for fires, spills, and medical emergencies in accordance with regulatory guidelines, and notifying regulatory agencies about the incident as necessary. The checklist also addresses accounting for personnel, assisting public authorities in managing victims, monitoring the status and location of the injured, and providing counseling services as necessary.

Financial items include ensuring funds are available for recovery, ensuring all recovery expenses are properly documented, establishing a recovery cost center, and estimating the impact of the incident on the company's financial status. Food services provision for recovery personnel at alternative operational locations is also listed.

Written by

Arne Reis

Founder

Process optimizer with 25 years of expertise, focused on operational excellence in quality, maintenance, EHS, and commissioning. Emphasizes innovative solutions and top-quality standards.

View LinkedIn profile