A workplace preparedness program should be built on a foundation of management leadership, commitment, and financial support. Without management commitment and financial support, it will be difficult to build the program, maintain resources, and keep the program up-to-date.

Below are a few good reasons for investing in a preparedness program:

  • Up to 40% of businesses affected by a natural or human-caused disaster never reopen. (Source: Insurance Information Institute)
  • Customers expect delivery of products or services on time. If there is a significant delay, customers may go to a competitor.
  • Larger businesses are asking their suppliers about preparedness. They want to be sure that their supply chain is not interrupted. Failure to implement a preparedness program risks losing business to competitors who can demonstrate they have a plan.
  • Insurance is only a partial solution. It does not cover all losses and it will not replace customers.
  • Many disasters, natural or human-caused, may overwhelm the resources of even the largest public agencies. Or they may not be able to reach every facility in time.

Despite the fact that it’s smart to have a preparedness plan, an Ad Council survey reported that nearly two-thirds of respondents said they do not have an emergency plan in place for their business.

How Much Is Enough?

How much time, money, and other resources should be invested in a preparedness program? Well, that depends upon many factors. Regulations, for example, may establish minimum requirements. But beyond these minimums each business needs to determine how much risk it can tolerate.

Many risks cannot be insured, so a preparedness program may be the only means of managing those risks. Some risks can be reduced by investing in loss prevention programs, protection systems and equipment. An understanding of the likelihood and severity of risk and the costs to reduce risk is needed to make decisions. 

Program Pointers

A preparedness policy that is consistent with the mission and vision of the business should be written and disseminated by management. The policy should define roles and responsibilities. It should authorize selected employees to develop the program and keep it current. The policy should also define the goals and objectives of the program.

Typical goals of a preparedness program include:

  • Protecting the safety of employees, disabled workers, visitors, contractors, and others at risk from hazards at the facility.
  • Maintaining customer service by minimizing interruptions or disruptions of business operations.
  • Protecting facilities, physical assets and electronic information.
  • Preventing environmental contamination.
  • Protecting the organization’s brand, image, and reputation.

A committee should be formed that can assist in the development, implementation, and maintenance of the preparedness program, and a program coordinator should be appointed to lead the committee and guide the development of the program and communicate essential aspects of the plan to all employees so they can participate in the preparedness effort.

The preparedness program should be reviewed periodically to ensure that it meets the current needs of the business and complies with any laws, regulations, or other requirements that may have changed.

Implementation of a workplace preparedness program should include:

  • Assessing risks
  • Identifying and assessing resources
  • Writing plans
  • Developing a system to manage incidents
  • Training employees so they can execute plans.

In particular, the following actions should be taken:

  • Resource management. Resources needed for responding to emergencies, continuing business operations and communicating during and after an incident should be identified and assessed.
  • Emergency response plan. Plans to protect people, property and the environment should be developed. Plans should include evacuation, sheltering in place and lockdown as well as plans for other types of threats identified during the risk assessment.
  • Crisis communications plan. A plan should be established to communicate with employees, customers, the news media and stakeholders.
  • Business continuity plan. A business continuity plan that includes recovery strategies to overcome the disruption of business should be developed.
  • Information technology plan. A plan to recover computer hardware, connectivity and electronic data to support critical business processes should be developed.
  • Employee assistance and support. The business preparedness plan should encourage employees and their families to develop family preparedness plans. Plans should also be developed to support the needs of employees following an incident.
  • Incident management. An incident management system is needed to define responsibilities and coordinate activities before, during, and after an incident.
  • Employees with a defined role in the preparedness program must be trained to carry out their assigned tasks safely and effectively. All employees should be trained so they can take appropriate protective actions during an emergency.

For more information or assistance with your Environmental and Health & Safety regulatory compliance needs, contact Ralph Carito at Total Environmental & Safety, LLC (Total) at rcarito@TotalEnviron.com or 908-442-8599.