The pandemic has made some companies more concerned about disaster preparedness. In 2020, 68% of companies said that they took at least three preparedness actions.
Disaster prevention is everyone’s responsibility in any society. Therefore, in the private sector, there are many companies which play an important role in this matter. Of course, if they wish to survive crises, they must make sure that they are prepared for disasters that may come their way. They must consider the safety of their workers, facilities, equipment, and their important intangible asset, information.
Consequently, disaster prevention is a responsibility that must be shared by all institutions dedicated to practicing social responsibility. In fact, disaster preparedness policies create an opportunity for everyone to reach out to people who have been affected by disasters. This includes people affected by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and fires, which have changed the lives of more than 1.5 billion people. It is estimated that over 1 billion people will be fully displaced by disasters by 2050, which highlights the need for greater action.
There are a lot of people that need to be involved in disaster preparedness. This includes a fire safety consultant or structural engineer.
Companies Must Make Disaster Prevention a Top Priority
Several companies dedicate resources to disaster prevention programs to reduce risks and subsequent recovery. These institutions have spent years working in different disaster zones around the world. They have been especially active in areas where the marginality index increases the risk of fatal consequences in the event of natural disasters.
Basically, their objective is to implement coordinated actions to strengthen capacities in disaster risk reduction. In addition, they seek to promote a culture of prevention through training workshops and support to create risk reduction strategies. By following these practices, they can ensure continuity for all the activities that are executed under their purview.
What can a company do to make disaster prevention a priority?
No matter how big or small the organization is, any person or institution can be affected by a natural disaster. These disasters can include tsunamis, earthquakes, earthquakes, floods and fires. Obviously, among the many things that companies face, there are natural catastrophes, which occur unexpectedly.
Consequently, plans to prevent or deal with contingencies and rebuild devastated resources must be tailored to each company. Therefore, it is important for every business, regardless of size or number of employees, to have an emergency plan.
For example, for disaster prevention in the company or business, in the case of earthquakes or earthquakes, the following guidance is suggested.
Prevention Tips
Your company must identify all possible risks it faces according to the type of activity it performs. You should also consider the geographical area where your company operates, which help you identity environmental risks and other issues. Once the risks, whether natural, operational or technological, have been determined, a strategy for disaster prevention and mitigation must be created. Undoubtedly, risks in companies vary from one to another. Therefore, each entrepreneur must be aware of the risks inherent to his business in order to avoid or face them.
Review the options offered by insurance companies to protect the business assets. You should with several agents to make the decision. In particular, it should be verified that the policy that is going to be contracted covers all possible risks that have been analyzed.
Decisionmakers must develop a disaster prevention plan, including security measures for the property with the respective signage. Likewise, the company should establish safety measures for workers, highlighting the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). For example, boots, helmets, gloves, masks, face masks. Also, establish safety supplies, schedule drills and training courses for personnel. Finally, periodic reviews of the structure of the building should be scheduled.
It is important to involve all members of the company, designating those responsible for mobilizing personnel in emergency situations. In fact, the objective is to establish an action plan indicating the assigned roles and what to do in the event of a contingency.
Safeguarding and protecting information, such as backing up a copy of business records and activities in another location. Therefore, it can be in another physical space, in the cloud, or on the company’s intranet. This will prevent them from being destroyed in the event of catastrophes.
Periodically ensure the availability of basic emergency supplies and elements in the right place and in sufficient quantities. It is therefore recommended that checks be carried out at least once a month. The following examples are cited in this regard:
- That the fire extinguishers are full and working. Verify their validity and that they have been inspected by experts who certify them for use.
- Check that access ramps and other places of accessibility for people with reduced mobility are not obstructed and are working properly.
- Verify that emergency exits are free and unobstructed.
- Ensure that emergency supply kits or backpacks are available in the appropriate places and in sufficient quantity.
- Ensure that in each area or department there are alarm activation buttons or emergency whistles.
- Create and maintain trained emergency brigades, made up of workers in each area or department.
- Establish routines for drills to ensure that each employee knows what to do in the event of an emergency. First of all, it is recommended that all employees actively participate in the drills. Evidently, the knowledge gained by each member improves and speeds up the evacuation plan that has been established.
Actions during the disaster.
Despite the recommendation to invest in prevention plans, many companies assume the danger by focusing on how they will react. On the other hand, the company that has a contingency plan must comply with each step designed to deal with the emergency. For example, in the event of a strong earthquake or earthquake, the first reaction would be to start the protocol to evacuate by the originally established route.
Likewise, ensure the concentration of all workers at the meeting point agreed upon in the plan.
Here are some suggestions while the disaster is occurring:
- Prevent personnel from panicking, and follow all instructions given by the person designated for emergency cases.
- Try to apply what has been learned in the drills.
- Ensure the well-being of personnel at the time of the event. First and foremost, the objective is to safeguard everyone’s life.
- Establish close communication with all workers, so you know where they are and if they are safe.
