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Why Emergency Preparation Is Essential for Businesses | SERVPRO® of West Bradenton/Anna Maria Island
5/9/2019 (Permalink)
Having a disaster plan will save your business.
There are so many different things that must be taken into consideration when running a business, but one of the most important factors to consider is emergency preparedness.
Wouldn’t it be a great if having an emergency preparedness plan would be all you need to protect your company from disasters? Unfortunately, that is not the case, but having a plan can still give your business an advantage on the safety side and ensure that your employees are aware of what is expected of them and what to do if a disaster or emergency situation should occur.
Why not make it a point to take the time to sit down and work out an emergency preparedness plan for various disaster situations? In fact, make it a priority!
There are numerous emergencies your business should have a preparedness plan in place for, including:
- Fire
- Severe weather, including thunderstorms and winter storms
- Other natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes
- Human-caused hazards, including accidents or acts of violence
- Technology-related issues like power outages and equipment failure
It doesn’t matter if it’s a man-made incident or one stemming from nature, if there is no emergency plan for your business, the situation could get even more stressful quickly.
Make safety training and familiarization of emergency preparedness plans topics that are included in your company onboarding process, team-building activities and continuing education opportunities. By helping employees familiarize themselves with proper safety protocol and emergency procedures, you’re not only giving them the tools to protect themselves, but you are also setting them up to help protect guests/visitors and the business itself.
As a first step when beginning to set up an emergency plan for your business, evaluate which scenarios would most likely to occur—but also include even those that are long shots but could still happen. It’s better to prepare for anything that could possibly happen and not be caught off guard.
There are plenty of online resources to help guide you through this process, including Ready.gov, the American Red Cross, FEMA and the CDC.
You should also look into a business impact analysis (BIA) to help predict the potential effect a disaster may have on your business. This should include lost or delayed sales and income, increased expenses from repairs, and delayed implementation of business plans. Also, don’t forget to make sure a crisis communications plan is in place, too.
Be sure to review and practice your emergency preparedness plan on a regular basis with your employees once you have one in place. Reviewing and rehearsing various scenarios can help ensure the process remains fresh in their minds and can help employees feel more empowered.
Disaster can strike when you least expect it, but by being prepared and having a plan in place, your business will be better suited to handle whatever Mother Nature has in store. If the worst should happen and your business is damaged, know that SERVPRO® of West Bradenton/Anna Maria Island is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.”