NC Blast: HQ AWOL, Local Spokesman Gets it Right

An explosion this morning at a North Carolina chemical plant demonstrates the good and bad of how companies should communicate during and after a crisis. On the bad side, AP has been unable to reach anyone at Synthron, Inc.'s parent company for comment, and the company website has not commented on, or otherwise acknowledged, the disaster.

But plant vice president Randy Cox, despite being injured, got it right:

Cox said he had no idea what caused the explosion.
"There will be a thorough investigation by the authorities," he said. "Our top priority is for the workers at the plant and we want to do everything we can for them."

In his comments, Cox didn't venture beyond the facts and into speculation, and he appropriately communicated the company's priorities during the early stages of the crisis.

Well done.