Section 7. Managing People

In an emergency, people's actions will determine the survival or loss of your farm business. You must provide them with information, training and the ability to communicate effectively to ensure their safety and the safety of your business and community.

One simple training step is to be certain that family members and employees are trained and up-to-date in first aid and CPR. It could save a life. Your local Red Cross chapter can provide this training. Everyone on the farm should also know the location of first-aid kits and how to use them.

Fire is one of the most common farm emergencies. Employees and family members should know the location of simple tools and equipment (fire extinguishers, shovels, rakes, water pumps, buckets, hoses, ladders) and be trained to fight fires as appropriate. Develop and enforce a smoking policy.

Severe storms may isolate farms from the rest of the community for some period of time. It is important to be prepared to take care of people and animals for at least three days, and depending on your location, even longer. At minimum, a three-day supply of food and water for all humans and animals should be on hand at all times. For example, a cow can survive on about 5 gallons of water and 20 pounds of hay per day. One gallon of water per day is usually sufficient for a human. Adequate fresh fuel should be on hand for essential back-up generators.

All family members and employees should know primary and alternate evacuation routes and emergency shelter locations for humans and animals. They should be trained to secure farm buildings, equipment and livestock for severe weather or other emergencies. If livestock will be evacuated, personnel should be trained in the proper procedures and know where the animals will be sheltered.

According to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9, the Nation's agriculture and food systems meet the definition of a Critical Infrastructure – systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.

Look for activities that could indicate criminal and/or terrorist planning:

1. Surveillance:
   Has anyone been watching and noting farm or community activities using cameras, maps, binoculars, etc.?

2. Suspicious questions:
   Has anyone tried to get information about farm operations or personnel in person, by phone, mail, e-mail, etc.?

3. Testing farm security:
   Has anyone tried to break into farm buildings or facilities?

4. Obtaining Supplies:
   Has anyone tried to obtain fertilizers, pesticides or other farm chemicals?

5. Suspicious persons:
   Have you seen anyone hanging around who does not appear to belong in the area?

6. Dry runs:
   Have you seen anyone doing things like mapping routes, practicing group maneuvers, monitoring traffic or other suspicious activities?

7. Stockpiles:
   Have you found abandoned vehicles or found suspicious materials stockpiled on the farm? Have you found supplies, such as fertilizers, stored in areas where they are not normally stored?

Call 911 or local law enforcement authorities about suspicious activities before you try to rationalize what is happening. If something doesn’t “feel” right, report it.

Some states have a special center or hotline which gather reports of suspicious activity. Investigations often are run by the State Police.

1. Report suspicious persons and vehicles to local law enforcement officials. Be aware of unfamiliar vehicles (not just vehicles bearing out-of-state license plates), including rentals, as they could be a prelude to criminal activity. Write license numbers in your logbook, if possible, but do not expose yourself to risk in getting them. Write down what you see and, if possible, take photographs or videotape the scene.
2. Walk around buildings and along fence lines to look for signs of trespassing and unusual activity. Is there evidence that someone tried to steal anhydrous ammonia, probably for making methamphetamine? Report anything suspicious to the police.
3. Should you come across evidence of trespass or criminal or suspicious activity, do not touch or disturb anything at the scene. If you locate a marijuana patch, for example, the entire area may be “booby-trapped.”  Tampering with anything in a "Meth Lab" could result in an explosion. Call the police and protect the scene from others until the police arrive.
4. Should you observe a crime in progress, do not attempt to intervene. Call the police immediately and report all relevant information.
5. When reporting a crime or suspicious activity to the police, report WHAT you saw, WHO you saw (description of persons involved), WHEN (date and time) you saw it, WHERE you saw it, and HOW the perpetrators might have accessed the area.
6. After you contact the police, call your insurance representative to report any damage or loss resulting from the incident. Photograph damage to your property and take steps to prevent further loss. Be aware that insurance companies require timely reporting of theft and vandalism. Failure to report promptly can lead to needless delays or denial of claims. If your farm security is breached by an act of theft or vandalism, take immediate steps to reestablish precautionary systems: change locks, reprogram access codes, establish new activity patterns, relocate movable assets, etc.
7. Call your attorney.

• Post signs informing visitors where to report. All visitors should sign in with a designated farm representative. This procedure protects against unwanted visitors and helps account for all persons.
  • Require all visitors, including vendors and contractors, to sign in. Verify their identity, as needed.
  • Maintain a visitor's log that includes names, addresses and other contact information, companies, arrival and departure times, and purpose of the visit.
  • Consider using visitor badges or identification cards.
• Control traffic.
  • All vehicles should be required to enter and leave your property from one main entrance/exit.
  • Establish a check-in point for all farm deliveries. Require regular vendors to conduct background checks on their drivers.
  • Designate specific access areas for outside contractors.
  • Designate a specific area for visitor parking.
  • Limit vehicle access to other areas of the property, especially livestock areas.
• Closely supervise all visitors. Do not allow visitors, vendors or contractors to have unlimited access to the premises.
  • Restrict access to vulnerable areas such as milk, gasoline, and pesticide storage.
  • Explain biosecurity and disease prevention procedures to visitors and provide disposable bootees and other equipment. Be sure procedures are followed.

All family members and employees should be trained to follow the visitor policy, so they know what to do when visitors arrive.

Keep your family and employees up-to-date on any increased criminal activity within the community and in surrounding areas, and instruct them to immediately report suspicious people or occurrences to you. Notify them when you are expecting suppliers or visitors so that they wonʼt mistake legitimate individuals for intruders.

Always ask to see the credentials of anyone claiming to be conducting an official government inspection. If they are legitimate, they wonʼt mind your request. If they are imposters, asking the question may be enough to discourage them. Ask to see photo identification. If you doubt the validity of the personʼs credentials, call the representative's office or organization. Do not use the telephone number provided by the inspector, since he may supply a false number to an accomplice. Use your own resources and/or telephone numbers, independent of the personʼs comments, to verify his identity and purpose. Also, do not assume that a vehicle bearing “official markings” is an official vehicle. Take time to verify.

Prevent disease from coming on your farm. When visitors check in, ask if they've had recent contact with animals in the United States and abroad. Prohibit any visitor from entering the operation if they have been outside the continental United States during the past two weeks, unless they can assure you that they have not been in close proximity to animals, especially hoofed animals, within the past five days.

Contractors who routinely visit animal operations should always take biosecurity precautions. Ask what precautions they take and observe them.

As part of your visitor policy, consider requiring all visitors, including service personnel, to wear disposable or clean, washable boots, especially if they will enter animal areas. In some cases, disinfectant foot baths should also be required. Disposable, non-slip shoe covers (boots) cost as little as a dollar a pair, and can save your business. Disposable boots should be discarded on your farm after use. Washable boots should be scrubbed to remove all organic material before leaving your facility. Other sanitary measures should be stated in your visitor policy and can be as simple as requiring the use of hand sanitizers, or as restrictive as shower in, shower out policies.

Good employee management is essential.

• Monitor new employees closely.
  • Institute an employment probationary period to properly evaluate a new employee’s work habits.
  • Supervise and watch them closely for that period.
  • Provide adequate on-the-job training focused on security and biosecurity.
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• Take time to manage your current employees. They are an important business asset.
  • Consider developing and following an Employee Manual which outlines your business policies and procedures in writing.
  • Meet privately with an employee when he or she has a complaint. Listen closely and with an open mind to concerns. Even if you canʼt change the situation, listening goes a long way toward deterring retaliatory actions by a disgruntled employee.

Always hire employees with security in mind. Ask applicants for a resume of their qualifications and to complete a job application. The job application should include references.

In order to protect your assets and ensure a safe, secure work environment, you need to know more about a new hire than what is included on an employment application. Screen applicants thoroughly, including checking references. Consider conducting background checks on all employees, including seasonal workers, to determine prospective employees' qualifications and demeanor. The extent of the background investigation should hinge on the degree of access a prospective employee will have to your family and assets. The farm is not only your business; it is also your home.

A thorough background check might include

• Checking criminal records back seven years for all counties of employment and residence.
• Tracing the social security number to verify the number and places of residence.
• Checking driverʼs license records if the employee will be driving your vehicles.
• If the employee will have access to money, computers, records and other vital information, investigate credit records, civil records, and employment references and verify the personʼs education.

All background investigations must be in compliance with the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act as amended by the Consumer Credit Reporting Reform Act of 1996. Outside firms can be hired to conduct these investigations in compliance with the law.

• avoid penalties and fines ranging from $275 to $11,000
• maintain a legal workforce
• protect jobs for authorized U.S. workers

A disgruntled former employee can be a serious threat to your farm security, as well as to the safety and well-being of others on the premises. His or her familiarity with the farm and its security strengths and weaknesses make it easy for him or her to access critical areas. The disgruntled employee  He may have retained keys or current employees might allow him or her to enter, not knowing that he or she is holding a grudge. Any disgruntled employee should be considered a potential threat for workplace vandalism. Ask your insurance agent about an Employee Dishonesty Coverage endorsement that can be purchased to cover losses caused by current or former employees.

If you are concerned about a former employee, re-evaluate security and consider modifications such as changing locks and routine inspection times. If you believe that the individual might attempt to sabotage equipment during downtime, remove key parts to render the equipment inoperable.

Establish a checklist of procedures to ensure that access and authorization are terminated for employees who leave your employment.

• Remove the names of former employees from all internal and external lists, especially those that list personnel allowed to pick up merchandise, sign for deliveries, place/cancel/redirect orders, etc. If you fail to remove former employees from your vendor list, they could run up bills for which you would be responsible.
• Collect keys, credit cards, identification cards, and other means of access to your assets. Change your Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) as necessary.
• Change passwords or codes on alarm systems and other pass code protected systems.
• Change locks that protect critical assets in case the keys were duplicated (even if they are marked “Do Not Duplicate”) before being returned.
• If an employee is fired or quits without notice, notify the employee in writing, via U.S. mail, that he is not to enter your property without your prior authorization nor without an appointment.