Crisis Management Specialists - red24assist

As environmental and public health compliance experts red24assist operates as one arm of the overarching red24. A leading global crisis management assistance company (120 countries worldwide) red24 possesses an unparalleled reputation for providing a comprehensive range of risk management solutions both to companies wanting to minimise the risks to their personnel, operations, reputation and profitability, and to individuals wishing to protect themselves and their families.

Specialists working in the multi-disciplinary team of experts are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Notifications from clients and interested parties are received with red24assist specialists responding within one hour of notification. Increasingly, assistance is requested in areas of food and non-food product recall and crisis management. Other areas attracting attention include business continuity and corporate brand protection.

Eric Smith (Head of red24assist Global Operation) Eric has vast experience in crisis management in the food industry. During the past 30 years, he has carried out numerous assignments across the world, linked to standards for the meat and food industry. 

A former senior lecturer at the University of Salford, Manchester, Eric taught in the areas of food safety, food auditing, food control, epidemiology, food law and development of quality systems for the food industry. He has experience auditing and instructing a number of industry-related government bodies. He is also responsible for imparting knowledge in a great number of EHPs currently working up and down the country.

Grant Cropper (red24assist Public and Environmental Specialist) Grant Cropper is a multi-disciplined senior environmental and public health specialist with diverse management expertise in food safety and occupational safety and health. Currently, Grant project manages a portfolio of HACCP and food safety management-related projects throughout the UK and across Europe.

Experienced in delivering accredited and bespoke learning packages (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), BRC and ISO standards) for major ‘blue chip’ companies and health service clients, Grant is equally competent in product recall, crisis management and insurance post-loss reviews. He also possesses a wide portfolio of academic qualifications, including holding MSc Degrees in Environmental and Public Health and Occupational Safety and Health.

Projects undertaken by specialists of red24assist are strategically well managed and diverse in nature. Environmental health professionals currently employed by the organisation apply principles of good practice. Competency has been attained through training, received at University, and employment experience, gained in local authority. This is utilised in the pressurised environment of private sector enterprise. Such an environment calls on specialists to adopt a flexible approach and possess the ability to be able to think ‘outside the box’.

On a day to day basis, red24assist offers support to the Insurance sector in so far as providing advice, support and being able to respond to the needs of insured clients on a global scale. A wide range of industries (food and non-food) are supported in the task of ensuring successful product recall, associated crisis management and ultimately, ensuring corporate brand reputation.

Examples of work carried out by red24assist includes, engaging with clients during the horsemeat scandal which carried grave implications for food companies ill-prepared for this type of incident. In a separate case red24assist specialists introduced sampling programmes relating to excessive volumes of potentially rodent contaminated cheese worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.  A solution was sought whereby the cheese was reworked deeming it ‘fit for human consumption’.

A further example of red24asssist’s work involved an incident whereby it was alleged milk powder blend had been contaminated through contact with the chemical food additive Dicalcium phosphate (DCP).  Here a specialist team of red24assist experts took control to manage the incident, thus, providing necessary round the clock support for the client

On a business to business basis, 2013 witnessed the launch of a networking initiative by red24assist named ‘Network Ahead’. The intention of this project is to seek out like-minded organisations possessing the vision and commitment to promote the advancement of symbiotic, sustainable and ethical business opportunities both in the UK and overseas.

In its first year the project has proved to be an overwhelming success with interaction taking place in the UK, Europe, Middle East and the United States. Increasingly, the aim is to promote a positive business platform based on the principles of sound environmental and public health good practice.

In 2014, red24assist are seeking to encourage engagement at the next level, adopting a position of influence with regards to how the profession of environmental and public health can best project itself both at home and overseas for the foreseeable future.