Businesses Should Establish Disaster Management Systems

The fourth event of the Resilience in Enterprises Project, which is carried out in cooperation with TÜRKONFED and TÜSİAD, with the support of UPS Foundation, to increase the disaster awareness of SMEs throughout Turkey and to strengthen their disaster preparedness and resilience, was hosted by BASİFED in İzmir. In the event, which was held with the participation of business world and non-governmental organizations, the training, which drew attention to non-structural elements and measures to be taken in earthquake and disaster risk management, was held at the İZBAŞ Conference Hall.

The opening speeches of the training, which was carried out with the aim of increasing the earthquake resistance of SMEs, were made by TÜRKONFED Vice Chairman of the Board Mehmet Salih Özen, BASIFED Board Member, İZBAŞ Chairman Eyüp Sevimli, and, Kocaeli University Faculty Member Prof. Şerif Barış said, “Reducing Non-Structural Risks, What is Risk Hunting?” and “How Disaster and Emergency Plan Revision Should Be”.

     Moderated by Kocaeli University Faculty Member Prof. In the panel "Reducing Non-structural Risks in Businesses" held by Şerif Barış, BASIFED Board Member & BS Architecture Engineering Founder Interior Architect Betül Sezgin, İZBAŞ Class A Occupational Safety Specialist Aylin Büyükbaş, AKUT Search and Rescue Association İzmir Operations Officer Özgür Özmen and Chamber of Civil Engineers İzmir Branch Chairman Eylem Ulutaş Ayatar shared his views on the subject.

“COLLABORATION IS ESSENTIAL TO STRENGTHEN OUR DISASTER RESISTANCE CHAIN”

     TÜRKONFED Managment Chairman Mehmet Salih Özen, in his opening speech, pointed out that companies should establish disaster budgets and disaster teams, and noted that the private sector should cooperate with the state in this regard. Stating that reducing risks is a matter of the country, Özen said that they implemented the resilience project in enterprises with the support of UPS Foundation in cooperation with TÜRKONFED and TÜSİAD; said that they carried out various trainings, workshops and capacity building activities in order to increase disaster resilience within the scope of the project. Explaining that as TÜRKONFED, they believe that the way to create disaster-ready and resilient businesses is to identify risks, Özen noted that it is essential to establish a multi-stakeholder cooperation structure and communication network to strengthen our earthquake resistance chain.

“MEASURES SHOULD BE TAKEN FOR EARTHQUAKE CREATING PROBLEMS”

     Speaking at the opening of the meeting, BASİFED Board Member and Chairman of İZBAŞ Board of Directors Eyüp Sevimli said that precautions should be taken before facing disasters. Pointing out that businesses should create a crisis management and communication program, Sevimli said, "Not only businesses, but also OIZs and free zones should take similar measures. The most important precaution to be taken is that our structures are earthquake resistant. In the 1999 earthquake, 365 thousand buildings were destroyed. Its economic cost was over $20 billion. Hundreds of factories were either destroyed or stopped. The fire in Tüpraş continued for days. There was huge tax loss and economic damage. Therefore, earthquakes create economic destruction. It is a survival issue for the country. A big earthquake in Istanbul will destroy the Turkish economy. Therefore, necessary measures must be taken without delay,” he said.

“BUSINESSES MUST CREATE DISASTER MANAGEMENT”

     After the opening speeches, Kocaeli University Faculty Member Prof. Şerif Barış said, “Reducing Non-Structural Risks, What is Risk Hunting?” and “How Should Disaster and Emergency Plan Revision Be?” made a presentation entitled. Noting that disaster management should be established for businesses in his presentation, Barış said, “The studies and measures taken regarding earthquakes in Turkey, which is in an earthquake zone, are very inadequate. This issue needs to be given more attention. Government and local governments need to do more work. Businesses should also create disaster management. Since disasters cause great damage to the economy, necessary measures should be taken to minimize these damages. Business owners and employees should be trained on this issue," he said.

“CONSCIOUSNESS NEEDS TO BE CREATED FIRST”

     Action Ulutaş Ayatar, Head of the Izmir Branch of the Chamber of Civil Engineers, noted that the enterprises must first be resistant to earthquakes and their operations should be arranged in accordance with earthquakes. Emphasizing that big disasters can be prevented with small measures to be taken, Ayatar underlined that more awareness should be created on this issue.

INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE APPLICATIONS SAVE LIVES

     In the panel held after the opening speeches and presentations, BASİFED Board Member & Founder of BS Architecture Engineering, Interior Architect Betül Sezgin said that interior architectural arrangements are very important in order to prevent deaths and accidents in workplaces. Stating that there are many details on this subject, Sezgin said, “Architecture and engineering projects are drawn in the buildings, but since the inspections are not sufficient in practice, we experience great problems in earthquakes. In interior architecture, the items must be placed and fixed correctly in the building and these works must be carried out by a specialist. These studies also need to be audited. Otherwise, we cannot reduce the number of injuries and deaths in the earthquake,” he said.

“SUPPORT SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM EXPERT ON MEASURES”

  İZBAŞ Class A Occupational Safety Specialist Aylin Büyükbaş said that the management of non-structural risks is very important. Stating that measures should be taken to prevent the equipment used in workplaces from creating risks in the event of an earthquake, Büyükbaş noted that it is essential to implement them with the support of experts in these matters.

“GATHERING AND DISCHARGE AREAS SHOULD BE USED ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE”

Özgür Özmen, İzmir Operations Manager of AKUT Search and Rescue Association, noted that businesses must use the assembly and evacuation areas appropriately for rescue activities after the earthquake. He emphasized that it is very important for businesses to reduce risks with the measures to be taken before the earthquake and to provide accurate information to the rescue teams after the earthquake.