On the latest episode of Risk Management: Brick by Brick, Jason Reichl is at RISKWORLD 2024 speaking to Laura Hatton, Risk Manager at Burnham Holdings.

In this episode, Jason and Laura explore the complexities and challenges of managing risk in manufacturing, as well as the importance of strong partnerships and communication between risk managers and other departments.

To find out how TrustLayer manages risk so that people can build the physical world around us, head to TrustLayer.io.

Navigating a New Year’s Eve Risk

On New Year’s Eve Morning, one of Burnham Holdings’ facilities had a fire. It was a 99,000 square foot plant, so the devastation could have been huge.

Fortunately, the plant was closed that day so no employees were injured.

Many members of staff showed up to help resolve the issues caused by the fire, and the quick and coordinated response meant that production could resume within just one week.

In fact, FM Global arrived the day after the fire, and identified no major component damage as the initial response was so efficient. 

Following this event, which was pinpointed to an electrical issue, Laura now involves FM Global in the planning phases of any new facility constructions to ensure fire safety.

"That was the first thing I said when they said, Hey, we're doing this building project I said, Call FM global. We want them involved from the beginning so that they can make the recommendations on the construction so it's done right the first time."

Get Out and Meet Everybody

Laura has one key piece of advice for risk managers: "Leave your office, get out there, and meet everybody that does every job."

Why?

Because you need to build respect and approachability within the organization, making sure people feel comfortable to come to you with every single risk that may or may not arise. 

"You want to be approachable. You don't want people to be hiding the fact that they're building a new addition to their facility; you want them to share the information."

It is also incredibly beneficial to build relationships with all roles, as you can then gain context from the ground level that may be relevant to risk programs and then communicate this up the chain of command far more effectively and efficiently.

To find out more about Laura’s approaches to risk management, tune in to this episode of Risk Management: Brick by Brick.

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/46j9CMX 
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3ycZlp5 

Podcast Host: Jason Reichl

Executive Producer: Don Halliwel