Guarding against potential terrorist attacks

Miriam George · February 2003

Are any of you taking special precautions at your business or preparing in any special way to be prepared for potential attacks by terrorists? One of our senior VPs asked me about doing something, but since we already train for emergencies, what do you recommend I do (if anything) to have our employees be better prepared?

I can't foresee us having any "insider" employees who are here to infiltrate our business, but this may be a risk for telecommunications, banking, finance businesses, etc.

Don D · February 2003

Most states now have someone with the added title of 'Homeland Security Specialist'. Typically its one of the guys who already was involved in civil defense type operations or emergency management. You could contact that person for suggestions. Ours has pamphlets and informational things he mails out and gives to municipalities and such. My thought is that anything beyond your existing 'workplace violence' policy and procedure is stretching people to the point of workplace paranoia. I'm not suggesting we be uninvolved or unconcerned; but, there's not much we can do to realistically address this in most businesses.

Miriam George · February 2003

Thanks, Don. I thought about telling my boss that we could give our folks rolls of heavy plastic and duct tape so that they can seal off their office window and/or doors if some disease is "dumped" in our area. Certainly will be helping the business of those who make duct tape.

Riley · February 2003

We have several feed yard operations with 20,000-40,000 head of cattle at each of our five locations at a given time. The Kansas Livestock Association President has issued a statement saying, not that there is a specific threat against the agricultural industry, but to keep an extra look out for anything unsusual, especially in areas where there is a high concentration of cattle. I'll bet you in a five county area, counting all the acution sites, feed yards, packing houses and ranchers, we have close to a million head of cattle if not more.

We are telling our employees to keep an extra look out for "gawkers". Not that we don't enjoy tourist because it is a pretty awesome site to see thousands of cattle in a concentrated area. We do this because during the months after 9/11 there was a suspicious older model yellow mustang taking a rode trip from south Texas up into SW Kansas looking at feed yards a long the way. Some people said the individuals were of Middle Eastern decent, but out here we do have many Hispanics, and from a distance, might look Middle Eastern. Needless to say, with Foot and Mouth Disease and BSE (Mad Cow), we can never be too careful.

Everyone who enters the yards must check-in and show proper id. Probably not uncommon in the big cities, but out here in sw Kansas we were pretty trusting until 9/11.

We are doing other things like, making sure we have an origination place on the cattle (sometimes they can be owned by 3-5 people before entering the yard), making sure cattle are proplery vaccinated, or "processed" as soon as they enter the yard, etc.

Boy, I am long winded today, it must be Friday!

Don D · February 2003

Don't get gross, but tell us what an 'acution site' is. I know in the catfish business there are 'electrocution holding pens' but didn't think this was used in the cattle business. You're right to be suspicious of those older yellow mustangs. Could easily be some wacko NASCAR fan whose rebuilding old cars!

Riley · February 2003

Sorry, I misspelled auction! Place where the rancher (seed stock producer) can sell their cattle to order buyers, who in turn, put a pen of cattle together, usually the same type (weight, body type, try for sex but sometimes doesn't work)for an owner (guy who wants to feed cattle in a feed yard) or the yard its self.

AH! Back to meat science 101

I don't think the cattle industry uses electrocution (to hard on the meat) But, they do have, in the packing plants a place where they use a bolt gun to the head(a gun with a spring loaded bolt, to "render the animal senseless" or knock them so far out they don't know, can't feel what is going to happen next, bleeding out. The whole point is to get a head start on rigormortis. Some places, mostly hog facilities have the hogs go through a "gas chamber" type thing. They give them just enough gas to render senseless and then start the slaughtering process. But, most common in any livestock slaughtering facility is the bolt gun.

At least in the hog business, electrical stimulation is only used after the animal is dead, to help keep the acidity level down, if it rises to fast you will get what they call PSE meat, Pale, soft, and exudatetive, or not attractive to the end consumer. You have to do it at the right time with the right amount, otherwise it could spead up the acid build up. This isn't common in the beef industry because they haven't found it useful.

Ok, class that was your lesson for today. Tomorrow we will discuss what happends after they bleed out! Anyone want to guess...? I didn't think so!

hrbanker · February 2003

We contacted our local FEMA office yesterday for pamphlets and suggestions. They said we are the first business in the area to take precautions. We are ordering extra bottled water so we maintain a 3 day supply, and are stocking canned food and blankets in each office. We feel the employee support for our concern about their care and comfort will be worth the cost. We're also stocking plastic & duct tape for each building. If we haven't used the canned goods by Christmas we will donate it to the local food pantry.

We asked ourselves, "What would we do if the employees are trapped in the office for three days?" I know there's not nearly enough food in the snack bar to keep everyone happy for that long.

Whatever · February 2003

As a little background, I live and work in NYC. I ride the subway. I have not bought duct tape and plastic for my windows (all though, many New Yorkers have). We have been living under a higher alert all week. We did take a survey of our employees and the vast majority did not want the company to go over and beyond our other emergency practices (fire, etc.). There is a certain fatalism that if there is a terrorist attack what will be, will be. Plus, many said, they would probably want to try and get home or to whereever their family was.

Guarding against potential terrorist attacks

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