Take the reins.  It’s you, not your consultant, who will be responsible for implementing plans and demonstrating to regulatory agencies that they work.  If you’re having a consultant develop the plans, actively guide the work and make sure you do a reality check.

Look under your nose.  Employees on the front line are often your best source of information, and your most valuable resource for problem solving.  Involving these associates in developing the plans increases your likelihood of success.

Test your response plans.  Don’t keep your plans on the shelf until the next legally-mandated update.  Practice gets you closer to perfect, and even table-top exercises can help work out the bugs.  If you can conduct emergency drills, consider involving outside responders identified in your plan.

Don’t tie your hands.  While your plans should be prepared with sufficient detail to be useful, they should not be unnecessarily specific.  Allowing some flexibility allows you to adapt your plan and avoids the need for excessive revisions.

Encourage feedback.  Promote the reporting of near misses and find ways to encourage suggestions for continuous improvement.