Business Contingency Planning
When you set up a business, you are understandably focused on setting up and delivering whatever it is you do. It’s perfectly natural for business start-ups in particular to get caught up in the euphoria of their achievements and day-to-day delivery of their business activities.
We’re an SME so we know exactly how this feels. We know how challenging yet rewarding it is when your business grows and goes from strength to strength. That’s why it’s so important to protect your business in the event of a fire or any other potential hazard from the outset. You’ve worked too hard to get this far to lose it all to something you may have been able to prevent.
If you are a business based in England and Wales, you will need to make sure you take reasonable steps to meet the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In Scotland businesses must take similar precautions to meet the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. At Ezra Safety Group, we are well versed with this legislation and can guide you through it.
What is business contingency planning?
Sometimes referred to as business continuity planning, this process forces you to consider and anticipate any potential risk to your business, put a plan in place so if the worst were to happen you can continue doing business with as little disruption as possible.
For example, did you realise that the biggest fire threat to business owners is arson? So as well as making sure all your fire doors, fire evacuation routes and fire safety equipment are taken into consideration, what thought (if any) have you given to the security of your premises? Do your security alarms work? Are they well maintained and tested? Do you have CCTV?
Petty vandalism can escalate into arson, so it’s important to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour and address vandalism immediately to prevent this. Having a good relationship with your local police and fire service as well as being an active member of your local business community will help keep you abreast of any potential fire risks. Also, make sure your employees know what to do if they spot any suspicious behaviour and who to report this to.
What about your business critical information and data? Have you considered how it is stored? Do you have back-ups in place? We would strongly recommend that you check a back up restore function is operational and effective – don’t assume anything. If you’re using cloud based hosting solutions you may think you are OK but have you checked what contingency plans your hosting provider has in place to protect your work and data? And if something were to happen, how soon can they restore this and get you back up and running?
Businesses and organisations that look after vulnerable members of the public, eg, nursing homes, care homes and hospitals, need to take extra precautions to make sure everyone can be evacuated quickly and safely.
What should a business contingency plan include?
A business contingency plan should include:
- An analysis of your business
- An assessment of the risks to your business
- A plan that outlines what measures you need to take to prevent or mitigate these risks
Once you have a plan you should rehearse it, review it and update it on a regular basis.
What next?
We appreciate this is all pretty mind boggling for any business owner, that’s why the Ezra Safety Group team are here to help and guide you through the process. We have an extensive knowledge of relevant fire safety and health and safety legislation and regulations. Business contingency planning is second nature to us, which means we can help you meet your responsibilities as an employer and allow you to carry on with what you do best, which is running your own business.
Ezra Group Safety offers a range of fire safety and health and safety services. Contact us by phone or email so we can learn more about your business and how we might help keep it safe from fire and other potential risks.
