Business Safety

In order to protect the health and safety of employees and business continuity, owners and managers should

• prepare, review, revise, and exercise their emergency plans and evacuation procedures; and
• maintain emergency supplies and encourage employees to keep a portable emergency supply kit with essential medications and other personal items. Recommended emergency supplies include:
  • water
  • food
  • flashlight
  • battery-operated radio and extra batteries
  • NOAA weather radio
  • whistle to signal for help
  • dust or filter masks
  • first aid kit
  • comfortable shoes (if evacuated)
  • moist towelettes and garbage bags with plastic ties for personal sanitation
  • wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
  • plastic sheeting and duct tape (to seal the room in the event of airborne chemical hazard)

If threat information is specific to a certain building or business, facilities will be contacted as necessary by public safety officials to alert them to additional security provisions that are being made or should be taken. Use newsletters, intranets, staff meetings and other internal communications tools to communicate emergency plans and procedures to all employees.

Emergency Planning for Businesses

As a business owner or manager, your emergency planning team should include all areas of your business, not just facility managers or public safety personnel. You should also include human resources, finance, administration, and executive level personnel. Use newsletters, intranets, staff meetings and other internal communications tools to communicate emergency plans and procedures to all employees.

There are seven critical elements of a business emergency plan.

1. Direction & Control: Who is in charge of making critical decisions? Managing resources? Analyzing information? Ensure that the chain of command during an emergency is clear to all of your employees.
   
   
2. Communications: How will you contact your employees and management personnel? Your customers? Neighboring businesses? Local authorities and government officials? Make sure you have an up-to-date communications plan.
   
   
3. Life Safety: Teach your employees about evacuation and sheltering-in-place. Identify external assembly areas if you are evacuated. Establish a system to account for your employees. Plan for employees with special needs or disabilities.
   
   
4. Property Protection: Determine the need for protection systems (e.g. fire protection systems, lightning protection systems, automatic shut-offs, emergency power generation systems, etc.). Make sure you have plans for shutting down or moving critical equipment. Identify critical records or data and back them up at another location.
   
   
5. Public Information/Media Relations: After a large emergency affecting your business, media representatives will want to speak with you. Prepare background information about your company. Designate and train a spokesperson who can speak comfortably with the media and provide critical information for your clients and customers.
   
   
6. Recovery & Restoration - Business Continuity Planning: A thorough business continuity plan may help you maintain your business operations throughout an emergency or ensure a quick recovery after an emergency has occurred. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) should address the following.
   
   
   1. Essential Functions: Identify and prioritize functions and identify the number of personnel and the equipment needed to perform these functions.
      
      
   2. Delegation of Authority: Identify personnel who are able to make critical decisions and identify the circumstances under which their authority would be used.
      
      
   3. Order of Succession: Develop orders of succession of sufficient depth and geographical dispersal for key positions within your department and develop procedures for the conditions under which succession will take place.
      
      
   4. Alternate Facilities: Identify alternate facilities where priority functions could be performed (home or alternate office space) and describe any limitations for full operations (space, equipment, infrastructure).
      
      
   5. Communications: Describe methods of communication needed for operations and tools that are available at alternate facilities.
      
      
   6. Vital Records & Databases: Identify critical operations documents, financial records, and timekeeping items, and describe how and where they are stored and backed up.
      
      
7. Administration & Logistics: Maintain complete and accurate records to ensure a more efficient response and recovery; designate personnel to acquire and track supplies and resources.
   
   

For Additional Information

• Ready Business - U.S. Department of Homeland Security