NERC Posts New Lessons Learned “Pandemic Response”

Summary:

In the past decade most entities created business continuity plans (BCP) for various disaster scenarios, including a major pandemic, and some had periodic practice sessions to exercise these plans. The COVID-19 pandemic provided the impetus for actual use of these plans early in 2020. When a plan is executed in a real- life situation, it can be expected that adjustments will need to be made and lessons will be learned. NERC has provided a "Lessons Learned" to collect important lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. A primary concern associated with a pandemic response plan is how the health and safety of essential staff can be protected while continuing to perform essential operations. Additionally, potential supply chain and contract services interruptions may be experienced. When a disease outbreak occurs, the exact nature of transmission and the most effective counteractions may not be known initially, so generic actions that cover a wide range of circumstances are prudent to adopt. After more is known, adjustments may be made to provide more appropriate and effective protection. (Source: NERC Pandemic Response Lessons Learned)

Additional Discussion:

Lessons Learned

• The particulars of a pandemic response plan have to be in generic terms, because the nature of future significant infectious agents are unknown. In 2020, the Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, NERC, and the North American Transmission Forum produced an Epidemic/Pandemic Response Plan Resource 3 that has been updated as additional tactics have been incorporated.
• BCPs need to be re-examined, adjusted, and communicated when exercised in a real-world case. The changes in pandemic protocols when the nature of the virus is better understood are an example of this.
• Consider updating plans for primary and back up control center operation centers to ensure that in the event primary center need to be evacuated for virus exposure the backup center is readily available. A pandemic presents a unique challenge where the potential for both primary and back up sites to get contaminated may exist.
• Many construction and maintenance activities prohibited social distancing. Entities had to review work practices and make modifications to ensure work needed to maintain system reliability can continue.
• Communication between entities is an area that should be reviewed in BCP. The pandemic presented unique challenges of communicating with neighboring utilities or where an entity shared a work site with another entity. Sharing details about worksite contamination due to virus or employee sickness when working with other entities at a common worksite may create some issues.
• Re-opening/return to the workplace milestones need to be communicated when defined.
• Entities should consider creation of criteria for return that are best set on defined conditions as employees should be able to see how close or far their locations are from reopening criteria.
• Entities should also determine whether and how re-opening processes will be followed in geographic locations that have met those criteria while other locations have not.
• The main transportable experience from the COVID-19 responses were expanded and improved Work From Home (WFH) processes.
• Any BCP aspect that could benefit from or require remote working can benefit from the remote working experience gained in the COVID-19 pandemic response.
• Additionally, many organizations are now working to determine and improve their WFH-related business processes for normal conditions as there were many cases of reduced overall costs. This requires re-examining potential WFH use by function and per business need.
• Entities should review their situations and lessons learned from any BCP use and what changes from that experience should be incorporated into normal business processes?
• Consider the psychological and mental health needs of employees as well as their knowledge levels. There are practices that may need to be adjusted to accommodate mindsets so they can concentrate on business related matters and remain productive.
• Communicate available employee support resources periodically.
• Consider voluntary or phased return to offices or other locations recognizing employees may have different comfort levels. Identify essential workforce needs as office staff returns and interaction between these groups increase.

Associated Files:

LL20211001_Pandemic_Response