“40% of companies do not reopen after a disaster, and another 25% fail within one year.”
According to the Insurance Information Institute
THE REAL COSTS OF BEING UNPREPARED
What if we train them and they leave?
What if we don’t and they stay?
After every disaster countless articles always highlight the glaring omissions in the response.
“Every dollar invested in pre-disaster mitigation saved Six dollars in response costs.”
According to the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)
“Your emergency plans should work while you sleep.”
According to John Pretto Godfather of live video streaming.
Disaster preparation
Households – especially in areas prone to hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods, and earthquakes – often prepare for disasters by storing extra supplies, having an evacuation plan, and learning about emergency resources. Businesses similarly want to prepare, focusing on restoring operations as soon as possible and minimizing losses. To prepare adequately for a disaster, take the following steps:
Develop a formal written plan
Sometimes called a “Disaster Recovery Plan” or “Business Continuity Plan,” this document should detail how your business will respond to and recover from a disaster, including temporarily relocating your business. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has developed a National Preparedness Standard for developing a plan.
Train employees
Share your Disaster Recovery Plan with employees, assign responsibilities, and offer training so that your workforce can help your business recover. You may also want to conduct drills to assess and improve response.
Store emergency supplies
Keep flashlights, a first-aid kit, a battery-powered radio and extra batteries at your business. Depending on your location, you may also want to store non-perishable food, drinking water, and blankets. When feasible and necessary, consider stocking equipment that can help your business return to operations as quickly as possible, such as a generator.
Maintain essential information offsite
To get your business up and operating again after a disaster, you’ll need to be able to access critical business information. In addition to backing up computer data, keep an offsite list of your insurance policies, banking information, the phone numbers and email addresses of employees, key customers, vendors, suppliers, and other key contacts. You’ll also want to maintain an inventory of your business equipment, supplies, and merchandise. Consider taking digital photos or videos of all items and storing these records on the cloud.
EMERGENCY PLANNING
The heart of all preparedness programs is planning.
During the planning process all employees, contractors, and management should be engaged in the planning process.
This process starts with plan review and training.
Goals should be set and the program should include:
Protect the safety of employees, visitors, contractors and others at risk from hazards at the facility. Plan for persons with disabilities and functional needs.
Maintain customer service by minimizing interruptions or disruptions of business operations
Protect facilities, physical assets and electronic information
Prevent environmental contamination
Protect the organization’s brand, image and reputation
Active Shooter Training
When was the last time your employees were trained to respond to an active shooter? Does your HR department have training to identify the warning signs of aggressive behavior and violent tendencies? Is a strict workplace violence policy in place? Are employees empowered to report violence to management? Have you conducted an active shooter drill at your facility?
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Active Shooter training: Run, Hide, Fight and Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape.
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Active agressor plan creation and review
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HR policy creation for workplace vilolence
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Confidential reporting plans
OSHA Regulations
OSHA requires emergency plans for all businesses with more that 10 employees.
OSHA standards explain the minimum requirements for safety that employers must meet to protect their employees from workplace hazards, as authorized by Congress in the OSH Act. Most private-sector employers and their employees in all 50 states are covered under OSHA.
Hazard Communication (1910.1200(e)) requires a written chemical worker right-to-know safety plan
HAZWOPER Safety and Health Plan (1910.120(b))
Emergency Action Plan and Fire Prevention Plan (1910.38 & 1910.39)
Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan (1910.1030(c))
Respiratory protection (1910.134(c))
Hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) (1910.147(c))
Permit-required confined space plan (1910.146(c)(4))
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