Recently, I had the opportunity to join Jason Assir, CEO & Co-Founder of EnergyGigs, for a webinar focused on a critical topic: what actually happens when safety moves from policy to practice during an incident.
It was a wide-ranging conversation, but it centered on a simple reality.
Most organizations have a plan.
But when something goes wrong, execution is what matters.
The Gap Between Plan and Reality
In our conversation, we talked about something most people in this industry already know.
There’s often a gap between documented procedures and real-world response.
On paper, teams are prepared. Processes are defined. Roles are clear.
But as we’ve seen many times before, things can break down.
Leadership isn’t always close enough to see where those gaps exist, and operational pressure makes it difficult to prioritize drills and preparation.
Over time, what feels like “good enough” starts to become the standard.
Until it’s tested.
The people closest to the risk usually know where these gaps are. The difference is whether their insight is built into your plan.
When It Becomes Personal
One of the stories I shared was about an experience early in my career.
An operator encountered a leak and made a quick decision to act instead of stepping back and assessing the situation. A decision that resulted in a severe injury and changed his life permanently.
The procedures were in place. The expectations were clear.
But in the moment, they didn’t matter.
What stayed with me wasn’t just the incident itself. It was the reaction from leadership. The realization that this wasn’t a metric or a report. It was a person, a family, and a life that would never be the same.
That’s what’s at stake in every conversation about safety.
The Scenario No One Wants to Face
Another critical aspect of emergency response is accountability during an incident.
Specifically, the moment when a leader communicates that everyone is accounted for.
That statement carries weight. Families, employees, and communities rely on it.
But what happens if it’s wrong?
I always go back to a story about a plant manager who believed his team had achieved full accountability. They followed their process and reported that everyone was safe.
But later, they discovered someone was still missing.
The operational consequences were significant, but the lasting impact was personal. He’d told people their loved ones were safe when they weren’t.
That’s a burden no leader should have to carry.
What We Continue to See
Across the industry, the same patterns arise.
Lack of Muscle Memory
Most people on site aren’t emergency responders. They don’t practice often enough to react confidently under pressure.
Manual Processes
Many sites still rely on clipboards, printed lists, and radios to account for people. These methods slow response time and introduce risk when accuracy matters most.
Tools That Weren’t Built for Emergencies
Some organizations try to adapt existing systems to handle emergency response. These tools often fall short when they’re actually tested.
These issues aren’t theoretical. They show up during drills and during real incidents.
Why Drills Are So Difficult to Prioritize
We also talked about why drills don’t happen as often as they should.
The answer isn’t complicated.
Drills take time. They interrupt operations. They cost money.
If you have hundreds of people on site, even a single drill can have a noticeable impact on productivity.
But that’s also the point.
If it takes two hours to account for your people during a drill, that same limitation will exist during an actual emergency.
The goal isn’t just to run drills.
It’s to improve the process so that accountability becomes faster, clearer, and repeatable.
What Good Looks Like
One of the more encouraging parts of the conversation was the recognition that many organizations are getting this right.
There are leaders who make practical decisions that prioritize their people.
There are teams that take readiness seriously, not just from a compliance standpoint, but from a responsibility standpoint.
Those decisions don’t always require large investments.
But they do require intention.
And over time, they create a culture where safety isn’t just discussed. It’s demonstrated.
What It Comes Down To
At its core, emergency readiness is about certainty.
Knowing your people are safe.
Not assuming. Not estimating.
Knowing.
Because in an incident, speed and clarity matter. Uncertainty is where risk lives.
A Final Thought
One of the simplest takeaways from the webinar is also one of the most important.
Ask “what if.”
What if this process doesn’t work the way we expect? What if the information we rely on isn’t accurate? What if something changes in the moment?
Those questions aren’t negative.
They’re necessary.
Because the time to answer them isn’t during an emergency.
It’s before one happens.
If you need a way to ensure you can account for your people quickly, accurately, and with confidence when it matters most, there’s a better path forward.
Want to dive deeper into this discussion?