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Workplace Disaster Preparedness |
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You’ve seen news stories on the devastating effects of natural disasters - earthquakes, floods, raging fires, blizzards, and hurricanes. And manmade disasters - toxic chemical spills, nuclear power plant mishaps, terrorist attacks - can be just as damaging. The American Red Cross estimates that, of businesses directly affected by disasters, 40 percent never reopen.
How can you make sure you’re part of the 60 percent that do survive, should the unexpected affect your business?
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Develop a Disaster Preparedness Plan
“The best time to plan for post-disaster financial needs is before the disaster,” says Claire Lee Reiss of the Public Entity Risk Institute. “A business that plans in advance makes better decisions … and its options are not limited by post-disaster conditions.” What should a business prepare for? The American Red Cross says every disaster plan should include detailed instructions for protection of human resources, physical resources, and the continuity of the business. Here’s what G.Neil recommends:
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Protect Your Employees
First things first: How will you keep your employees safe it you’re hit by a hurricane, tornado, fire or explosion? One vital way is to have a detailed evacuation plan and mark employees’ evacuation routes with Exit Signs. You’ll also need enough First Aid Kits – and numerous employees trained to use them. You may need a weather radio, flashlights, blankets, plus a supply of food and water, depending on your situation. Emergency lighting and alarm systems are a good idea, too.
Preparing employees ahead of time reduces panic, says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It recommends that you designate specific employees to perform particular assignments when a disaster hits – someone to call the police or fire department, others to monitor stairwells and keep people off elevators, staffers to operate fire extinguishers or contain chemical spills, someone to decide when to evacuate and when to come back in, and so forth.
All these employees should be trained long before disaster strikes – individual, task-based training along with general training and review such as fire, disaster or evacuation drills. Click here to learn more about disaster awareness and the important supplies you should have in an emergency.
Employee safety must come first! Your disaster preparedness plan must answer these essential questions:
How do you make sure everyone is evacuated safely? (One way is to have them all meet in a designated location for attendance.)
How do you get word of an imminent disaster to everyone on staff? (Perhaps you could record a voicemail message on a dedicated phone line.)
How will you get in touch with the families of your employees, if you need to? (You may need to keep a copy of the phone list in an offsite location.)
If your facilities become unsafe, evacuation is the best policy. Be sure you have exit signs at every doorway leading outside and evacuation boards to display your floorplan and all safe exit routes.
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Protect Your Assets
Keeping your physical assets safe is your next concern. Consider in advance whether you should protect assets by deploying sprinkler systems, water pumps, emergency heating units, shutoff valves, and storm shutters. You may need other means to secure doors and windows, backup power supplies to keep critical equipment operating, and remote switches to disable ignition sources. Keeping fire extinguishers at the ready is crucial. Depending upon the size of the work area and the kinds of fires that could occur, different sizes of fire extinguishers may be necessary.
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Educate Employees about Your Plan
Once you’ve developed a comprehensive preparedness plan, put it in writing and share it with your employees. Make sure each employee is aware of your expectations and procedures by having them sign a copy of a Disaster Preparedness Policy. It will explain that you have developed a plan to keep everyone in the workplace safe, and it is their responsibility to familiarize themselves with the plan. Before they sign, go over the key points of the policy with them, and point out where all fire extinguishers, exits and first aid kits are.
Beyond this, keep your employees informed about responding to unexpected crises. A poster that explains Disaster Preparedness: What You Need to Know will keep important facts and “how to” information available at all times.
Do you want your business to survive a disaster? There’s only one way: Plan for it.
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| Tools to Ensure Disaster Preparedness |
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