ISO 22322, “Societal security — Emergency management — Guidelines for public warning,” has just been released. It’s yet another example of the expansion of standardization into non-technical and management areas. It’s part of the ISO 22300 series from Technical Committee 92 on Security. You can get your copy of this new release from an authorized distributor like Document Center Inc.
ISO 22322 has been developed in response to the challenges of natural disasters, terror attacks, and other major incidents world-wide. It’s goal is to help emergency organizations develop effective and timely communications in order to save lives, protect health and minimize disruptions. So it reviews and defines requirements for all steps in warning plans, for both setting up the system and setting up the process.
What does ISO 22322 cover in terms of public warning systems? Clause 4 starts with a general overview and then covers framework design issues: Hazard monitoring, warning dissemination, and responsibilities. You’ll learn how to identify public warning objectives and implement your process. And of course the last section is on evaluation and continuous improvement.
What does ISO 22322 cover in terms of the public warning process itself? Clause 5 again starts with a general overview. It then turns to the hazard monitoring process and the steps you’ll need to take to implement it. There’s a section on operational decision-making. Then there’s a complete section on the warning dissemination process. Clause 5 closes with a section on human factors considerations.
ISO 22322 is arranged as a series of listed steps, with many sections logically arranged as a series of action items or responsibilities. So you’ll get concrete recommendations for the information that should be included in a warning or how to identify what area should get a warning, for example.
In addition, in Annex A the standard discusses the relationship between an “alert” and a “notification” in public warning. And Annex B covers public awareness, an essential component of any successful public warning system. A 5-item bibliography completes the standard.
As noted above, ISO 22322 is a copyright document and must be purchased from an authorized ISO distributor. Get your copies of all ISO standards from Document Center Inc. and be assured of compliance with the law. They can be ordered online in both paper and pdf format at our Document Center Webstore, www.document-center.com. Here’s a link directly to the order page for ISO 22322. Or you may prefer to contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com). We can help you set up a Standards Online account to provide your organization with 24/7 online subscription access for many of the standards we sell. Make us your Standards Experts!