How to Make Sure Your Business Is Prepared for Disasters | SERVPRO® of Gwinnett County South

3/3/2020 (Permalink)

Fires started from lighting storms.

If you are a business owner, or run a business, there are many, many facets of the business that must be addressed. One of those is emergency preparedness, which is probably the most important factor to think about.

Even though you may have a plan in place, it will not stop all disasters, but it can still give your business a leg up on the safety side. This will allow you to at least make sure that your employees know what to do if a disaster or emergency situation should occur.

Making a Plan

If you have not taken the time to sit down and work out an emergency preparedness plan for various disaster situations, please make that one of your top priorities!

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

A disaster is a disaster whether it’s man-made or caused by nature. If there is no emergency plan for your business, things could get even more stressful quickly.

You should make sure that safety training and familiarization of emergency preparedness plans are included in the 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.

Where to Begin

When beginning to set up an emergency plan for your business, first evaluate what disasters could most likely occur—also include those that are a longshot but could still happen. After all, it’s better to prepare for all the worst-case scenarios 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.

Conducting a business impact analysis (BIA) can help predict the potential effect a disaster may have on your business. This would include lost or delayed sales and income, increased expenses from repairs, and delayed implementation of business plans. Don’t forget to make sure a crisis communications plan is in place, too.

After an emergency preparedness plan has been developed, be sure to review and practice it with your employees. 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 Gwinnett County South is here to help make it “Like it never even happened.”