Business Disaster Planning

A disaster can wipe out a business and according to the statistics about 25% of businesses never reopen after a disaster hits. Even if you are not in an area prone to disaster, such as tornadoes, floods or hurricanes, it is wise to engage in business disaster planning. An explosion nearby or a chemical spill could prevent you from returning to your place of business, which will translate into lost revenue. More importantly, it could put you and your employees in danger.

To get started with your planning, you should first gather information about possible disasters that could occur in your area. You need to warn your employees and take the necessary steps to train them in the event that a disaster should occur. This involves first aid training and training in how to secure the equipment to make sure it is in a safe place. All businesses should have a written disaster plan that the employees are aware of.

Making the plan consists of taking three key factors into consideration – the human resources of your business, the physical resources and the business continuity. Your employees have a vested interest in making sure you an open the business after a disaster because they need to know that they still have a job to come back to. Think about how you could still operate the business if the streets were closed, for example.

Some suggestions to help in your planning are:

Keep an up-to-date record of the phone numbers of everyone connected with the business.
Have a “phone tree” in place so that you don’t have to call everyone on the list.
Make arrangements for messages to be relayed to the business phone or to a remote number that all employees know.
Leave the keys and codes for the alarm system with a trusted employee if you know that you will not be able to get to the site.
Make sure that computer data is backed up periodically during the day on discs.
Surge protectors and battery backups will prevent loss of equipment during power outages.
Always stay alert to weather reports of serious weather headed in your direction.
Make sure you have all the necessary insurance policies in place to cover you in disasters. This mean paying extra for clauses that cover such events that are not normally covered under regular insurance.
Always have emergency supplies available as well as a first aid kit.

You can take precautions to reduce the amount of damage your business sustains in a disaster, such as bolting all bookcases to the wall and placing heavy objects on lower shelves.