Protecting Your Critical Resources

When you think about the impact natural or human-caused disasters can have on your business, consider your most important resources:

Human Resources

If you are the sole proprietor of your business, then you obviously need to protect yourself and your customers from possible injury in the event a disaster occurs. In small and mid-sized businesses, you need to protect your employees and customers from injury on your premises. You also have to consider the possible impact a disaster will have on your employees’ ability to return to work and how your customers can reach you or receive your goods and/or services.

Physical Resources

Whether you own or rent the building where your business is, you and/or your building manager should inspect the physical plant(s) and assess the impact a natural disaster would have on your facilities. The property protection checklist can serve as a guide for that inspection.

If your business operates in an older building, consider having it evaluated by a professional engineer. An engineer’s recommendations will help you safeguard your building from potential hazards. Keep in mind that an ideal time to make improvements is during a major addition or renovation.

Whether you are planning to remodel or build an entirely new facility, make sure your plans conform to local building code requirements. These codes reflect the lessons experts have learned from past catastrophes. Contact your local building code official to find out what is required for your project.

If you do not own the building your business is housed in, this is still important information for you to keep in mind if you are relocating to a new facility or expanding your business operations. The building’s physical condition and how it will survive a natural disaster could have an impact on your ability to keep your business open following an incident.

Business Continuity

Even if your business escapes a disaster unharmed and your employees are unhurt, there is still a risk that the business will suffer significant losses. These can be broken down into two types of losses:

• Upstream

• Downstream

When some local businesses fail, there is a chain reaction because of the negative impact on the local economy. This guide will outline the steps you can take to assess risk and protect your business’ assets from these disturbing possibilities.

From the book, Open for Business by the Institute of Business and Home Safety.