The Opportunity of Crisis

COVID 19 – A Crisis, A Pandemic, & an Opportunity

The last national emergency graphically produced and revealed heroes and their heroic deeds. First responders were easy to discern. They were the ones covered head to toe in the dust of destruction. The other easy method of identifying the heroes and first responders is that they were among the dead. It’s safe to say that 9/11 was the last time the nation faced a common enemy and worked toward a common goal. But this time is different somehow. The heroes are not so easily identifiable.

Of course, all of the tireless, hard working medical personnel are the front-line heroes and our ultimate line of defense. This time, the hot zone is not just a few blocks in Manhattan, it covers the entire country. The victims and the heroes are one and the same. This time, the American worker has suffered. Not to equate the suffering of those with the virus by any means, but it evidences the widespread nature of this crisis. And in the end, it reveals the need for everyone to become a first responder, especially small business owners and workers.

Despite the “hugeness” that is America, this country was built on and continues to stand on the foundation of the small business. One of the trends that most likely emerge from his crisis is the need to protect small businesses by protecting its employees and clients. One major retail chain just announced they will be installing plexiglass at the check-out stations between the customer and the employee at the cash register. Dozens of such improvised safety measures will surely emerge in the days to come. One of the results will be the workforce taking notice of such measures and wondering what management plans to do at their workplace to protect them.

Opportunities abound. The upside of such crises is that they frequently cause management not only to examine their security and safety profiles, but also causes companies to loosen their purse strings to upgrade their solutions and operating procedures. OSA had the opportunity to work with a local school district to perform security assessments and create for them a Standard Operating Procedures Handbook (SOP’s). John Pruitt – pictured above, OSA’s Safety and Risk Mitigation Expert, reminded the school board,

“This SOP is a working document because it will be outdated soon after we publish it. It will need constant revisiting and updating.”

Overwatch Security Advisors honors and salutes all of those currently working to meet the challenges of this national crisis. Furthermore, it urges all businesses, small and otherwise, to seize this opportunity to evaluate and update their safety protocols to protect its employees, clients and property. OSA can help your company establish a secure path ahead, and a safe environment for your most valued asset, your people.

We stand with America, its people, and those responsible for their well-being. Safety might be our calling card, but people are our calling.

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OSA Marketing | Ops Team