Businesses can do much to prepare for the impact of the many hazards they face in today’s world including natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and widespread serious illness such as the H1N1 flu virus pandemic. Human-caused hazards include accidents, acts of violence by people and acts of terrorism. Examples of technology-related hazards are the failure or malfunction of systems, equipment or software.
Floods are one of the most common, and most costly, natural disasters. Preparing now for flood situations can minimize injury to business, employees and customers; and speed the recovery process. Turn Around, Don’t Drown! ®
Floods are one of the most common, and most costly, natural disasters. Preparing now for flood situations can minimize injury to business, employees and customers; and speed the recovery process. Turn Around, Don’t Drown! ®
Utility outages pose significant problems for business and industry, it’s important to have a plan to operate during periods of power or utility interruptions.
Our coalition exists within the New Madrid Seismic Zone, this increases the risk from earthquake related damage. It’s important that business ensure they are as prepared as possible a potential earthquake. Damage to a building or production line could be catastrophic to a businesses survival.
It’s important for businesses to build a preparedness program, a way to monitor and track that status of your businesses preparedness efforts, and provide a method for continuous improvement. There are many resources available to assist with building a program and ensuring its success. While building a plan is important, it’s also important to exercise or test your plan; this should be done using a real world scenario that will help you find the issues or errors in your plan.
When building your plan, it’s important to identify any regulations or laws that will help you to establish the minimum requirements for your program. Once you have identified the laws and regulations, it’s time to identify the hazards and assess the risks faced by your business. As you identify the risks and hazards it’s a good time to identify ways to reduce or prevent those risks. Your plan should incorporate all aspects of your business, from communications, continuity, response efforts, and even how you will assist your employees after the disaster so you can restore your business as quickly as possible. Once you have completed your initial plan, you should exercise it thoroughly and use the exercises to correct any problems or deficiencies found. It’s highly recommended that your plan be reviewed, updated and tested at least annually. These steps will help you to ensure your business is as prepared as possible for any potential disasters it may face.