Over the weekend UK Home Secretary drew attention again to the very real terrorism threat in the UK. Unlike in the days of the IRA, a terrorist attack in the heart of a busy financial or commercial district of a city such as London is expected to happen without warning, and if a vehicle is used as a weapon casualties could be greater than anything the UK has experienced before.When considering the impact of terrorist attacks in which workforces are caught up, companies would be wise to examine research from the US following the Oklahoma and 9/11 attacks, in which up to 1/3 of employees displayed symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Fortunately, most recovered fairly quickly, but the resolute British “we won’t be put off by terrorism” attitude may well be put to the test if an Oklahoma-magnitude event were to occur in the heart of London, and our business continuity plans may well as well as we had hoped.
For more on post traumatic stress disorder following terrorist attacks click below:
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/164/2/189
