June 13, 2003—Over 90% of companies still have their mailrooms positioned at the heart of their head office buildings, despite the fact that nearly half believe the risk of a terror attack or a hoax at major corporations is on the increase.
Pitney Bowes Management Services (PBMS) recently surveyed more than 100 operational risk directors at UK companies. More than 60% of those taking part in the survey felt that they are not getting the right advice and support from the government in terms of assessing the level of security risk.
“In the light of recent experience it is not surprising that companies lack confidence in government advice about mailroom security,” commented David Leslie, chair of the Emergency Planning Society’s Business Continuity Issues Group.
“The government responses to flooding, the fuel protest and foot and mouth have led many people to question the advice from government and worry about the support that government is able to give in any civil crisis,” Leslie continued. “Government has made changes in the form of UK Resilience—but many still lack confidence that the government is any better able to respond to civil emergencies. Organizations need to work closely with local emergency services and emergency planners.”
Pitney Bowes found that 17% of the companies questioned had never reviewed their mailroom security, although most companies now carry out reviews every six to 12 months. The majority also have staff in place who are trained to identify suspect packages.
Pitney Bowes managing director Ashley Bailey said: “We are alarmed, but not surprised, that companies continue to have their mailrooms located at important corporate sites. The mailroom is a primary communications gateway and an easy target for terrorist attacks. This is not only putting employees at risk, it is also costly for business, considering that every time emergency services are called out to deal with a mailroom incident, be it a terrorist threat or a hoax, this type of disruption costs businesses approximately 62,000 per hour in lost productivity.”
—Elliott Chase
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2003 i-FM
