(41z) Use of Tabletop Exercise for Emergency Scenarios

A Table Top Exercise is an emergency preparedness activity that takes participants through the process of dealing with a simulated emergency scenario. In tabletop exercises, key personnel who have critical roles (Critical roles are those where a lack of competency can result in significant unmitigated operational risks) talk about their roles during an emergency and how they are expected to react in those scenarios.

It is applicable for all the top events scenarios (C4 & C5) identified by the departments through PHA (Process Hazard Analysis)/HIRA or any other emergency scenario arising from dept.’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Document.

The purpose of a tabletop exercise is to evaluate department’s preparedness for an emergency scenario and to inform required participants of their roles in the response. Key personnel present during the exercise have the opportunity not only to become more comfortable with their own roles in the emergency scenarios, but to see how the entire response will play out across the department. All the 3 shifts should be covered for all the Table Top scenarios.

Activities to do before Table Top Exercise:

A yearly plan for conducting Table Top Exercise to be made for identified scenarios as per Annexure#1.

Department needs to make a yearly plan for conducting Table Top Exercises. All the top events scenarios (C4 & C5) identified by the departments through PHA (Process Hazard Analysis)/HIRA or any other emergency scenario arising from dept.’s Emergency Preparedness & Response Document.

Define the Scope for the Table Top Exercise

The scope of the Scenario should be pre-defined for conducting the Table Top Exercise. Aspects of defining the scope include functions to be practiced or tested, start & end limit of the Scenario identified, involvement of potential agencies etc.

Identify the people involved in the Table Top Exercise for any scenario.

Participants, Facilitator & Observers should be identified for the scenario. Refer point no 7.3 for the roles & responsibilities of different agencies.

Activities to do during Table Top Exercise:

Start the Table Top Exercise with discussion on similar incidents/emergency scenarios in other department/plant/steel industries

Provide a timeline for the exercise

As the exercise will take place in an accelerated timeframe compared to a real-life event, a timeline should be defined initially. Participants should expect that the exercise will proceed in a condensed time frame, so events will unfold rapidly (not real time). Remind the team that a real emergency will require flexible time management skills.

Script development of the Table Top Scenario is one of the most important step in the whole exercise. For any Scenario, write down the sequence of steps which can lead to emergency and try to explain the expectations against those steps to the participants. This activity shall be done by the facilitator.Stepwise action taken as well as steps to overcome the situation by the participant in an emergency scenario should be discussed in this step. Also, Facilitator should discuss failure mode of each step and deliberate with the participants for the action to be taken if the step fails.

After above step has been performed, a detailed discussion should take place for what actual actions need to be taken for every step mentioned as per the Emergency Preparedness & Response document/SOP/Reference Document against those discussed and jotted down by the team. Facilitator should match those steps written with the steps written in Emergency Preparedness & Response document/SOP/Reference Document. Detailed discussion should take place on the failure mode of each step with the participants for the action to be taken.

Activities to do after Table Top Exercise:

Provide time to review the exercise.

Suggested questions can be:

1. What strengths in your workplace’s emergency plans did this exercise identify?
2. What weaknesses in your workplace’s emergency plans did this exercise expose?
3. What unanticipated issues arose during the exercise?
4. What gaps were identified?
5. What are some high-priority issues that should be addressed?
6. What are some new ideas and recommendations for improvement

Conduct Debriefing after the Table Top Exercise

Following the exercise, participants and facilitator shall compile an after-action report, detailing any key findings or questions highlighted during the exercise.

Purpose of debriefing is to:

• Evaluate changes and corrections to the original Emergency Preparedness & Response document.
• Evaluate requirement of any additional inter-department coordination.
• Serve as a guide for future exercises.
• Verify the exercise goals were achieved.
• Evaluate training and personnel deficiencies.

Output of debriefing consists of actions under

• Keep Doing
• Stop Doing
• Do Differently
• Start Doing

All the gaps identified along with good points should be noted down in the Annexure#2 format.

Department should make an action plan to close out the gaps identified in the Table Top Exercise along with the timeline and a review should be done on a regular basis to track the closure of the gaps. Gaps identified shall be reviewed in monthly AIC meeting and based upon the gaps identified, necessary changes can be made in respective SOP/ Emergency Preparedness & Response Document/any other relevant document.