If
you own, rent or lease
your property, preparedness
is essential for maintaining
business continuity.
Whether
you operate your business in an office
building, mall, industrial complex
or your home, there are steps you
can take to be prepared for any man-made
or natural disaster.
Business
owners and facility managers are
becoming more aware of the importance
of converting paper-based pre-incident
and business continuity plans into
HTML.
Owners
and managers
support
risk evaluations and encourage identification
of events or environmental surroundings
that could adversely affect or disrupt
their business. A natural or man-made
disaster can cause extended disruption
in business and can be a financial
catastrophe.
One
of the first steps business continuity
planners suggest is pre-planning.
This encompasses pre-incident planning
and risk evaluation. An all-hazards
approach to pre-incident planning
can provide management with insight
into developing procedures that can
help mitigate disasters.
If
disaster strikes, your business will
lose time and money. Preparedness
can establish necessary recovery
procedures.
- Take
Steps to Protect Against a Terrorist
Attack
"There are steps that businesses can take to protect against and minimize
the effects of a terrorist attack. In addition to planning for emergencies, some
modifications of physical buildings can provide additional protection for building
occupants."(1)
- Develop
Your Plan
Use the National Fire Administration Association publication, Standard on
Disaster / Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (NFPA 1600),
to develop your plan. It "provides the necessary guidance to effectively
coordinate and manage the widely varying community resources that mitigate,
prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies."(2)
Order your copy from NFPA
- Get
to Know Your Building
" Getting to know your building may best be handled by conducting a walk-through
inspection of the building and its systems, including the HVAC, fire protection,
and life-safety systems. During this inspection, compare the most up-to-date
design drawings available to the operation of the current systems."(3)
