Preparing Your Business For the Unthinkable

Why bother? Disasters don't happen here.
Even if you think you are not in a disaster-prone area, something like a chemical tanker truck overturning can prevent you and your employees from getting to your facility. Even if a flood doesn't put your business under water, customers and supplies may not be able to get to you.
Power outages, brown-outs or surges can affect your daily business operations. Many disasters, like wind storms, tornadoes and earthquakes, can strike quickly and with little or no warning.

What can I do?

• Find out which natural and technological hazards can happen in your area.
• Get information about how to prepare your employees and clients to respond to  possible hazards and provide help.
• Disaster safety information and CPR/First Aid onsite-training are available from your local Red Cross chapter.
• Network with others who have or need to develop risk or contingency management plans.
• Attend seminars and get information from local risk management associations or chapters.

Disaster Recovery Begins Before a Disaster
No business should risk operating without a disaster plan. While reports vary, as many as 40 percent of small businesses do not reopen after a major disaster like a flood, tornado or earthquake. These shuttered businesses were unprepared for a disaster; they had no plan or backup systems. Follow the safety tips below to help ensure this doens't happen to your company.

Reduce Potential Damage

• Prevent or reduce disaster damage in your facility by taking precautions, such as bolting tall bookcases or display cases to wall studs.
• Protecting breakable objects by securing them to a stand or shelf using hook-and-loop fasteners.
• Moving to lower shelves large objects that could fall and break or injure someone.
• Installing latches to keep drawers and cabinets from flying open and dumping their contents.
• Using closed screw eyes and wire to securely attach framed pictures and mirrors to walls.
• Using plumber's tape or strap iron to wrap around a hot water heater to secure it to wall studs.

You should also consider having a professional install:

• Flexible connectors to appliances and equipment fueled by natural gas.
• Shutters that you can close to protect windows from damage caused by debris blown by a hurricane, tornado or severe storm.
• Automatic fire sprinklers.

Some other things you can do to protect yourself at work:

• Learn your building's evacuation plans.
• At work, encourage your managers to hold regular fire drills.
• Be sure your building manager posts evacuation plans in high-traffic areas, such as the lobby.
• Make sure everyone knows where to go if the alarm sounds, and practice your escape route together. Decide on a meeting place where you can gather after leaving the building.
• Learn the sound of your building's fire alarm.
• Know at least two exits from every room at work.
• Be Prepared with Red Cross information on preparing for the unexpected and learn first aid and CPR at Red Cross classes.
• At work, if you have a disability that could delay your escape, let someone in authority know about it, and be sure there is a plan to assist you.
• Know the location of your building's fire alarms, and learn how to use them.
• Post emergency fire department numbers near all telephones.

Protect Your Employees, Customers and Business
Designate one employee from each work shift to be the safety coordinator. This person will make all decisions relating to employee and customer safety and to the safety of the business itself. Safety coordinators should know how to contact the owner or operator at all times.

Everyone in your facility should know how to prepare for a disaster and what to do if a disaster occurs. If you would like more information on workplace safety or would like to schedule a safety seminar for your workplace, please contact Stephanie Crain by phone at (312) 729-6155.

Also see the Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry. A step-by-step approach to emergency planning, response and recovery for companies of all sizes. Sponsored by a Public-Private Partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).