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Ya Kun among local firms readying staff for terrorist attacks

SINGAPORE — For food and beverage company Ya Kun, security is no longer just about theft or robbery, but it is also about the threat of a terror attack, said its executive chairman Adrin Loi.

At each Ya Kun branch, two to six CCTV cameras are installed. Posters with SGSecure messages are also displayed, with fire extinguishers and first-aid boxes available. Photo: Esther Leong

At each Ya Kun branch, two to six CCTV cameras are installed. Posters with SGSecure messages are also displayed, with fire extinguishers and first-aid boxes available. Photo: Esther Leong

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SINGAPORE — For food and beverage company Ya Kun, security is no longer just about theft or robbery, but it is also about the threat of a terror attack, said its executive chairman Adrin Loi.

Amid the heightened security climate, Ya Kun is among some companies that have taken it upon themselves to prepare their employees for emergencies such as a terrorist incident.

Since October last year, it has been taking steps to spread the message of staying vigilant to its workers, which number more than 400. It plans to do more, including staging mock attacks at its shops.

Mr Loi pointed out that should there be a terror attack in Singapore, it will affect the whole country, with its effects “cascading down” to businesses and their employees.

“It is a very tough time now ... (for) the food and beverage industry. Can you imagine if something major were to happen to our major contributors to the economy, like the airport, or the banks or the Monetary Authority of Singapore?” said Mr Loi in a media interview earlier this week.

As part of Ya Kun’s training for staff, outlet supervisors and area managers gather every two months or so at the company’s town hall meetings where they discuss emergency preparedness measures, among other things.

Some topics include SGSecure’s “run, hide, tell” advisory, basic first-aid training, and topics relating to the terror threat. SGSecure is a national movement to ready Singaporeans for a terror threat.

Ya Kun’s managers and supervisors disseminate the information from the meetings to the workers at its 64 outlets across the island. Employees are also reminded regularly to look out for any suspicious characters.

Two to six CCTV cameras are installed at each branch. Posters with SGSecure messages are also displayed, with first-aid boxes and fire extinguishers available.

The company, which traces its roots back to the 1940s, is looking into training its staff on how to respond during terrorist incidents, by simulating an attack at its outlets.

Ya Kun operations manager Phoebe Poon said that a challenge faced when disseminating the information to workers is that some “do not really pay attention”. This could be because “we now live in peacetime”, she said.

Nevertheless, part-time worker at Ya Kun’s Parkway Parade branch Foo Pin Ling said it was “important” to practise vigilance, given that “we won’t know when (tragedy) might happen”. The 56-year-old, who has been with Ya Kun for five years, added: “(We all) have a role to play.”

Mr Loi also said that while workers know how to respond to workplace emergencies such as leakages or fires, terrorist attacks would present a new set of challenges, “because (we have) never reacted (to one) before”.

While cost, manpower, and time might be issues that companies — especially those in the food and beverage industry — grapple with when preparing their workforce, it is a small price to pay, Mr Loi said. Upper management has to set the right tone in seeing “the urgency of security needs”, he reiterated.

So far, Ya Kun has spent about 135 man-hours on these emergency preparedness measures. “(Companies) might lose out more ... if something happens. The whole brand will suffer,” he said.

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