Evaluating the Conditions of Crisis Management of Industries and Problems of Health, Safety, and Environment Staff in Confronting Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Qualitative Study in Qom Province

Crisis refers to events or situations that suddenly occur due to natural and human accidents and functions and impose difficulties and problems on a human collection. Crisis management enables an organization to eliminate some of the crises, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), manage some others efficiently, and acquire the required tools for rapid and thorough learning from the occurred crises. The present study aimed to evaluate the conditions of crisis management of industries and problems of health, safety, and environment (HSE) staff in confronting COVID-19 in Qom province.

The present research is a qualitative study based on content analysis. The participants included 23 staff working at the HSE center of industries that entered the study through a random convenient method from various industries and organizations. Questions on evaluating the preparedness and response to crisis sections were designed and completed. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA V10 software.

The analysis of the data regarding investigated companies indicated that 21 companies (91.3%) were privately owned, and two companies (8.7%) were semi-private. Regarding the field of activity, the companies were also active in 9 groups. The mean number of staff in the investigated companies and the mean number of HSE staff were 154.48 and 1.48 people, respectively. The content analysis clarified that only in 11 investigated collections (47.83%) had the managers noticed it before identifying COVID-19. Providing disinfectants and personal protective equipment was the most critical problem in confronting COVID-19. Simplification of the disease and non-compliance with the instructions by staff were also placed in the next rank.

According to the results of the present study, the conditions of preparedness and response to the COVID-19 crisis were not of the desired status in the investigated collections. Increasing the number of staff in the HSE center and applying the general principles of crisis management, especially planning and taking a lesson from past crises, can help increase the level of preparedness of organizations and industries for probable future crises.