The Hidden Cost of Poor Incident Management and What Businesses Overlook Until It’s Too Late

When a serious incident unfolds in the workplace, the focus is rightly on the immediate response—keeping people safe, containing the situation, and restoring order. But what happens next often reveals a much deeper problem: the real cost of a poorly handled emergency.

For many organisations, the danger isn’t just the incident itself. It’s what happens when response plans are vague, communication breaks down, or the right information doesn’t reach the right people in time. These breakdowns can result in delayed evacuations, overlooked injuries, misinformed stakeholders, or, in some tragic cases, lives lost.
Yet, many businesses continue to rely on outdated systems and manual processes, believing “it’ll probably be fine.” Until it isn’t.

More Than a Moment: The Ripple Effect of Poor Response

One of the most significant mistakes organisations make is treating incident management as a static, reactive process—an isolated event to be dealt with, rather than a dynamic risk that touches every part of the business.
The truth is, delays or errors in incident response often come with a hefty price tag. According to the Business Continuity Institute’s 2023 Horizon Scan Report, the average cost of a serious workplace incident involving business disruption exceeds £200,000, and that’s before accounting for reputational fallout or legal repercussions.

But the financial toll is only one part of the story. Poor emergency planning often leads to:
● Reputational damage: Clients and partners lose trust when they see chaos instead of control. Brand damage after a crisis can take years to recover from.
● Legal liability: Failure to meet duty-of-care obligations can result in Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforcement actions.
● Loss of staff confidence: If employees feel unsafe or unsupported during a crisis, morale plummets—and so does retention. Workplace safety perception studies have shown a direct link to job satisfaction.

In the age of remote work, field operations, and mobile teams, the stakes are even higher. A missed lone worker check-in or a misrouted alert isn’t just inconvenient—it can become a critical incident in minutes.

Real-World Lessons on What Can Go Wrong

Consider the 2019 Ocado warehouse fire in Andover, where a lack of real-time coordination delayed evacuation efforts. The fire destroyed a £45 million facility and caused weeks of disruption, damaging both revenue and reputation.

Or take the case of utility worker Kevin Campbell, who died while working alone on a wind turbine. Despite having a check-in system, no one noticed his missed calls. The company was fined £1.2 million under the Health and Safety at Work Act. A proper alert system with real-time escalation could have saved his life.

These aren’t isolated cases—they’re part of a wider pattern showing how inadequate incident management can amplify harm long after the initial event.

The Hidden Price of Doing Nothing

The most dangerous assumption businesses make is that they’ll deal with it when it happens. But in the middle of a crisis, there’s no time to build a better system. You’re stuck with what you’ve got.
Many organisations hesitate to invest in incident management technology because it’s seen as a cost. But the cost of poor emergency planning—lost time, lost trust, lost lives—is far higher. A modern, real-time platform that automates alerts, tracks incidents, and connects teams in the moment isn’t just about compliance—it’s about continuity, confidence, and care.

Making the Shift From Exposure to Resilience

What separates resilient businesses from vulnerable ones is not that they avoid every crisis, but that they’re prepared for them. The right systems give you clarity in chaos, everyone knows what’s happening, and everyone knows what to do, and behind those systems is leadership that takes workforce safety seriously, not just as a legal obligation, but as a business value.

The longer companies delay upgrading their incident management capabilities, the more they risk exposing themselves to the kinds of failures that can define an organisation for all the wrong reasons.
Is your current system putting your people or your reputation at risk? Speak to our team to learn how Locate Global can help you respond smarter, faster, and with confidence when it matters most.

Want to explore how technology can support your organisation? Get in touch to speak with our team or book a free demo.