National Preparedness Month: Business Disaster Planning
As part of National Preparedness Month, thinking about how prepared your business is for a disaster and taking on more comprehensive disaster planning is an important part of the seasonal transition. Every business should have in their operational objectives a complete disaster response plan. Fortunately, creating a thorough disaster response plan comes down to awareness and some intuitive preparation for a range of storms and other natural and man made calamities. With regular maintenance and well thought out procedures, you can get your business in condition to handle a disaster and recover faster. Here are a few tips for preparing your business for a disaster.
Make a Business Continuity Plan
These types of plans are designed to help keep your business functioning during and after a disaster. Sustaining business operations and initiating a quick recovery after a disaster is very important. Continuity plans will help ensure that suppliers, vendors, distributors, and others are part of the planning. Making sure that there is a line of communication between essential business partners will help facilitate recovery and keep your revenue stream active. You will also need to plan for payroll and disruptions to work schedules for employees. Reviewing emergency procedures is also an important part of maintaining these kinds of plans. You should include employees in discussions on emergency plans and make sure they understand start-up and shutdown procedures.
Safeguard Systems and Data
One of the most fundamental parts of modern business is technological systems and data. Safeguarding these in anticipation of a disaster is extremely important. Backing up all company data and having important documents copied and located in multiple secure locations will ensure that your records are safe and accessible. Keeping important data in cloud storage is a great way to safeguard important documents since they can be accessed anywhere with an internet connection. Hard copies of documents should be copied and stored in multiple locations. If a disaster disrupts your business, always make sure that you have necessary data backed up.
Replenish Emergency Supplies & Equipment
If you have not inspected emergency supplies and safety equipment is some time, do so when reviewing your business’ disaster planning. Expired items or important items that may be lacking in your business preparation should be resupplied. This goes for items like power generators and first aid kits. Taking a close look at your emergency supply inventory and make any additions is a good idea. While you’re at it, make sure all emergency exits and equipment are unobstructed and in good condition. It may also be a good idea to run through emergency response procedures with employees while inspecting these items and systems.