A Recipe for Disaster (Prevention)

All organizations should have disaster plans in place to ensure business continuity. Whether you have plans already or have yet to attempt your first draft, be sure to consider the following elements:

Criteria

What conditions will trigger the implementation of your disaster plan protocols? These could include winds over a certain miles per hour threshold, air quality levels over a certain limit, so many inches of precipitation in a 24 hour period, and so on. Remind employees that any evacuation orders and other guidance from local authorities will supersede your plan.

Evacuation and Shelters

Primary, secondary, and tertiary evacuation routes and shelters should be identified for every type of event listed in your disaster plan.

Supplies

Ensure whatever emergency supplies your organization keeps are adequate for the scope of disasters in your plan. These supplies should also be regularly checked to ensure they are in good working order and have not expired, if perishable.

Property Protection

Have protocols in place to protect valuable business property, such as electronics, data, and documents. These protocols should only be undertaken when there is plenty of advance warning. Once evacuation or pre-evacuation orders have been given, protecting human life should be the main focus.

Timetables

Your plan should include a timeline to help guide return-to-work efforts in the aftermath of a disaster. This should include day-by-day checklists and instructions to guide employees in how to resume operations at a temporary location within a certain timeframe once the disaster has abated.

Recovery

Include checklists for documenting and reporting damages and other losses for any claims that need to be made. Be sure to include any relevant contact information in these documents for ease of access.

For additional information or assistance with your organization’s disaster plan, please contact your broker or risk manager.