The Con-way organization has examined our current business contingency and disaster response plans, and has updated them to address potential issues that could surface due to a widespread pandemic in North America.
It is our intent to make the best possible effort to provide for the continuation of services to our customers in the event of a major outbreak of a pandemic, and we are currently assessing the challenges that we may face with a potential pandemic. Our response plans will address different levels of potential impact on the population and, consequently, our organization. Our current assumption is that, as a company, in the event of an outbreak, we will be impacted to the same degree as the general population.
This planning is being driven by our Pandemic Task Force. It includes representatives from all Con-way operating companies, functional departments and administrative service groups. The task force has the following charter:
- Identify critical operations personnel and their
backups, and develop contingency plans for personnel replacement,
continued support and operations. The business continuity plan will:
- Identify specific contingency actions to be taken as a pandemic unfolds.
- Set thresholds or trigger points that will guide different levels of response and implementation of contingency actions.
- Identify responsible parties and the decision support structure to be followed when executing contingency plans.
- Create a detailed communications plan and structure so
that, to the maximum extent possible, we can:
- Respond rapidly to identify and manage pandemic-related issues as they develop.
- Utilize an integrated communications structure to continually inform Con-way employees and customers of status, minimize anxiety, and ensure adequate information flow.
- Ensure thorough understanding and adoption of procedures to be followed when contingency operating plans are implemented.
- Ensure two-way communications to enable employees and other stakeholders to advise us of their status.
- Establish operating protocols to properly secure facilities and protect customer freight to the maximum extent possible in the event a facility requires temporary closure or embargo due to a pandemic incident.
- Establish and maintain emergency transportation resources to support dissemination of critical medical supplies to key constituents.
- Ensure that every Con-way location has a proper complement of anti-infection and health maintenance supplies to protect employees in the workplace.
- Adapt or amend benefit plans to facilitate fast and efficient access for employees to vaccines and other health care aids for themselves and their immediate families to assist them in managing their health during a pandemic.
- Ensure that employees are adequately supported and are able to access local medical care in the event of infection or contraction of a pandemic virus.
We also are examining alternatives for how best to deploy our operational assets in the event of a major pandemic that renders portions of our workforce unable to perform their duties. As you can imagine, were we faced with a situation where, for example, 20–40 percent of our workforce was unable to report to work due to infection, this scenario will impact the capacity we can deploy in the market on any given day. We are considering formulas to ensure that customers will continue to have some access to Con-way resources and capacity, even if it is in a reduced state due to a pandemic. We expect that any pandemic will be a fluid situation that will change daily.
Again, it is reasonable to anticipate that, as a company, in the event of a widespread outbreak of a pandemic, we will be impacted to a similar degree as the general population. We expect our customers to be affected similarly as well, creating a situation where customer business volumes will likely decline as a pandemic affects a customer’s workforce and production capacity.
We are already in discussions with some of our customers, as well as with other carriers in the market and government officials, to share best practices and ideas on contingency planning. We also welcome participation with other customers, suppliers and business partners in these discussions.
Our task force has published an Pandemic Preparedness Plan along with installing proactive preventative measures in all service centers.
Lastly, we believe we should assist our employees and the communities in which they live and work so they can be responsible corporate citizens and support, where we can, public response efforts in the event of a pandemic. In such a situation, and when requested by appropriate authorities, Con-way will endeavor to make its personnel and equipment available to local and state officials to the greatest extent possible for transportation of vital medical materials and emergency relief supplies in support of public health efforts.
We will add more detail to our plans once we know with more certainty how a potential pandemic would manifest itself, and once the details of government plans to respond and protect public health in the event of a pandemic emergency become available.
