Emergencies happen in life, and they affect employees at the office just as much as they do people in their homes. While it’s impossible to plan for everything, there are always things that can be done to protect companies and their employees should the worst occur.
Here are 4 steps to take to protect against an emergency happening at a business.
1. Prepare to Handle Power Cuts
A power brownout or localized power disruption can be dangerous for companies. Not only does it mean that computer equipment, servers, and other tools relied upon will stop working, but the office loses important light sources too. In stairwells and corridors particularly, a lack of light streaming in through the exterior windows can cause accidents.
It’s crucial for businessventures of all sizes to have commercial emergency lights installed. Fortunately, they do not waste energy, so don’t worry. They kickin only when a power cut is detected to ensure there’s sufficient illumination for people to see. Employees can then find their way out following an emergency evacuation plan.
Also, consider adding a generator that can supply emergency power to the building for a short period. These operate on fuel, and many generators are multi-fuel so you can choose the type used. They allow staff to execute a planned, safe shutdown of all computers and servers to avoid losing any data.
2. Put an Emergency Evacuation Plan in Place
An emergency plan for staff to follow in an event where everyone must exit the building clarifies what’s needed. At a time when there’s generally worry and confusion, it’s good for everyone to know what to do (and what’s required of them).
Companies should run regular drills to test the alarm systems and lead people out of the building to the designated assembly point. While this is most relevant in a fire, it also has relevance for other unexpected emergencies.
3. Get Disaster Recovery Insurance
Disaster recovery insurance for businesses is there to help handle emergencies that make it impossible for it to continue in its present form. For instance, some policies have provisions for providing temporary office premises including internet and telephone facilities for staff to move to and work from. This provides a workaround when a fire or chemical leak has made the original office unusable. Given that many businesses go under within just a few months post-fire, this type of policy can save the day.
4. Avoid a Cyberattack
A cyberattack is an attack on a business that’s in the virtual world or on the in-house servers. While it doesn’t require an evacuation, it can be catastrophic for an unprepared company.
Here is what to do to avoid a cyberattack:
- Strong firewalls – Prevent hackers from gaining access to the company’s systems
- Secure PCs – Install protective software that prevents anyone from installing new software without administrator-level permissions
- Passwords – Adopt highly-secure, difficult passwords and store them using respected password management like Dashlane or LastPass
- Stafftraining – Employees must be taught how to protect themselves and the company from an attack through email (phishing andsocial engineering used to gather information to eventually gain access to the company’s servers should be a central focus).
Emergencies for a business come in different forms. Therefore, a multiple-pronged approach is required to try to cover all the bases adequately.