On High Alert and Prepared for Anything

2005-10-18

The way people think about health, safety and security has been forever altered.

9/11... the South Asian Tsunami... Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)... Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath.

These are just a sampling of the incidents in recent history that have changed our collective consciousness, as we watch with horror the shocking death tolls and witness the serious damage inflicted on the quality of life of our fellow citizens around the globe.

In 2004-2005, natural disasters claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused economic losses in the billions of dollars. Losses of this scale can create economic turmoil and lead to social and political instability and environmental catastrophe. The same impacts are true of terrorism, as the events of September 11, 2001 have demonstrated so clearly.

Canada has by no means been immune to these types of emergencies. Just ask anyone who experienced the 2003 SARS outbreak in Toronto, the great Winnipeg flood of 1997, the 1985 Air India Bombing, or the explosion that ravaged Halifax in 1917. The need to take precautions and have a plan in place to respond to emergencies of this magnitude is not a new concept. It is, however, one that has been given much more attention in the last couple of years.

Governments – federal, provincial and municipal – have all identified emergency preparedness as a key priority, as have the organizations and agencies traditionally involved in this type of work, including the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other police forces across the country, firefighters, emergency medical services, and hospitals. But they aren’t the only ones.

Also looking seriously at the issue of emergency preparedness are many of the organizations and individuals who make up the National Standards System (NSS), which is overseen by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). Together with their counterparts in the international standards community, they are looking at the role that standards and conformity assessment can play in ensuring that we will be prepared for the next emergency, whatever it might be.

National Commitment to a Global Problem

Canada was among the countries represented when the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Advisory Group on Security was formed in January 2004 to look at the role standards should play in global security and emergency management. In addition to examining the critical role for standards in the face of terrorism threats, ISO also called upon the group to consider how international standardization work could address natural or accidental disasters or cyber attacks.

The advisory group concluded that ISO has "a large role" to play in international security standardization, with 35 of 205 ISO technical committees being involved in work related to security including such areas as biometrics, detection of the illicit movement of radioactive materials, infectious disease control, maritime port security and information security. It also recommended extending the work areas of several of ISO’s existing technical committees to allow them to address emerging threats and, to reactivate the ISO technical committee on civil defence, which had been dormant for several years.

"Global problems require global solutions," says Husam Mansour, member of the Canadian National Committee on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and one of two Canadians on the international advisory group. "Security is a global problem. Equipment crosses borders, first responders cross borders, so we need to approach this on a global basis."

Mansour says the advisory group recognized the need to take a more strategic, "top down" approach to security in ISO work. He acknowledges that while ISO is involved in many security issues, including illegal immigration, accidents and natural disasters, the approach hasn’t always been coordinated.Mansour also represents Canada on a permanent security advisory group, a joint initiative between ISO and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that was created as a result of the ISO advisory group’s recommendations.

In Canada, a parallel committee is to be formed to provide the country’s point of view to the new advisory group.

The development of a guide that outlines how and where security issues should be incorporated into the development of new standards or as part of revisions to existing ones is among the priorities of the joint ISO/IEC security group, as is the development of an ISO web portal that links users to security standards.

Homegrown Standards Solutions

Not only are Canadians demonstrating leadership in international standards work, they are also looking at security and emergency preparedness issues at home. Canada’s national standard on Emergency Preparedness and Response, (CAN/CSA Z731-03), in place since November 2003, is one example.

Many provincial and territorial governments are encouraging the use of CAN/CSA-Z731 as part of emergency planning initiatives in their jurisdictions. The standard contains advice on planning, administration, training, resource utilization, auditing and other aspects. Organizations also use CAN/CSA-Z731 to help them meet emergency planning requirements in other standards including ISO’s two best known series of management system standards, ISO 9000 (quality management systems) and ISO 14000 (environmental management systems), as well as ISO/IEC 18000 (Information technology – Radio frequency identification for item management).

North American approach

As part of efforts to arrive at a more coordinated North American approach, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada (PSEPC) is working with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to develop a new standard that incorporates existing U.S. work in this area. The Canadian National Emergency Management and Business Continuity standard will be based on the U.S. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600 Standard on Disaster Management, Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs.

"Our intention is to develop a harmonized North American approach and bring as much consistency as possible to emergency management," says Mansour.

The current version of NFPA 1600, published in 2004, is designed to help organizations and jurisdictions mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters and emergencies. It can be used to evaluate an existing program or establish a new program in the public or private sectors. When it is published, early in 2007, the new Canadian standard will follow the latest edition of NFPA 1600. Endorsed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and many key U.S. emergency organizations, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission) has recommended that NFPA 1600 be accepted as the common framework standard for private sector national emergency preparedness.

Using the consultative process inherent in the voluntary standards development process, the adaptation/adoption of NFPA 1600 is expected to give businesses a foundation for emergency and business continuity planning and also to provide those companies operating in both Canada and the U.S. with cost savings and fewer complexities.

Building a more secure nation

Helping to address some of the more specific safety issues associated with terrorism attacks is another key role for standards. One such issue is the need for a coherent approach to  security in the design and construction of new public government buildings, which includes a framework to assess the safety of existing buildings. Among the affected facilities are airports, embassies, passport and taxation service centres and office buildings.

In light of the increased threats of terrorism facing Canada, both the RCMP and Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) have voiced this longstanding need. The RCMP, responsible for the security of federal government buildings, approached the National Research Council (NRC) to take on the project one month after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. four years ago. The initiative is part of the federal government’s far-reaching National Security Policy.

The NRC has drafted a proposal for a National Security Code for Buildings (NSCB), fulfilling the RCMP’s request for a flexible approach that is compatible with the national building, fire and plumbing codes. Once the proposed code has been approved by Cabinet and the necessary funding is in place, work will begin on the technical requirements.

The goal of the Code is to address "reasonable" securityrisks using a threat-risk assessment process. "This will look at, ‘How likely is a bad thing to happen?’, and, if it does happen, ‘What are the consequences?’" explains John Archer, Senior Research Council Officer, Canadian Codes Centre, NRC. It will facilitate cost-effective, security-effective decisions.

For example, in considering the possibility of a plane loaded with fuel crashing into a building, the process could be used to examine the expense of equipping a structure to withstand such a crash, which is possible, versus the chances of it happening.

Standards will play an essential role in the proposed regulatory Code. As is the case with other national construction codes, numerous voluntary standards will be referenced as technical requirements. Archer says it is important to ensure that the related expertise continues to rest with standards development organizations (SDOs), rather than the code "owner" having to acquire it. He says the document would also be physically unmanageable if every technical requirement was detailed within it. Both national and international standards will be considered for referencing. Canadian SDOs will be called upon to develop standards in new areas such as building access systems and fire services equipment tampering. About half of the proposed budget for developing the technical requirements of the Code is earmarked for standards development activities.

Although the Code will in effect be law, a vital aspect of voluntary standards development—consensus building—is central to the project. "They (Canadians) should have some confidence that the use of a consensus-based process will provide the ability to arrive at an appropriate balance of public security concerns and the rights of the individual," says Archer.

Putting it into perspective

Like all microcosms, the standards community must adapt to address new realities of a changing global dynamic. Standards have an important role to play in helping the global community as a whole, and Canada as a member, to make vigilance and preparedness part of our new collective consciousness, so that if the unthinkable becomes reality, we are prepared to react.

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This article first appeared in volume 32 of CONSENSUS Magazine, 2005.  The information it contains was accurate at the time of publication but has not been updated or revised since, and may not reflect the latest updates on the topic.  If you have specific questions or concerns about the content, please contact the Standards Council of Canada.

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