{"id":29348,"date":"2019-03-18T11:01:28","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T18:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/offgridsurvival.com\/?p=29348"},"modified":"2019-03-18T19:43:29","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T02:43:29","slug":"smallbusinesspreparedness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offgridsurvival.com\/smallbusinesspreparedness\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you Prepared? Emergency Considerations for Small Business Owners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"First<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a small business owner, it’s important to understand that when disasters strike, lack of preparedness can not only mean a loss of money, productivity and business assets, but it can also mean the difference between life and death.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An emergency can be defined as any set of unplanned circumstances that puts people, property or the environment at unacceptable risk. When that risk escalates to the point where it can cause significant damage to your company, it can be considered a crisis and is something that all companies should try to minimize in order to maintain business continuity.  To reduce the risk of damage to both people and property, businesses must plan in advance for any emergency that can negatively affect their company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Rs of Emergency Response for your Business: Ready, Respond and Return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One tool that can be helpful to small businesses is to think of the 3 Rs of emergency response, which refer to the phrase \u201cReady, Respond and Return.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> By understanding all aspects of disaster response, companies can prepare for anticipated emergencies, respond in the event of an unplanned incident and then return to normal business operations. There are several ways in which this can be achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

READY: Creating an Emergency Response Plan.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Business<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first step in preparing for any emergency is to understand potential risks that may affect your business.  By creating the necessary infrastructure within your company, employees are then capable of responding to any crisis, whether it be an earthquake, flood, hurricane or security risk.  The most important tool for any company is to create an emergency response plan.<\/strong> This document outlines the key people who can make decisions, emergency numbers to call, the response team to provide first aid assistance, and any key items that will be needed to aid in managing the emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses should consider the\nuse of a response team with a clear leader- this person should be called because they are capable of making\nthe decisions that are in the best interests of both persons and property for\nthe company.  Usually, the head of the\ncompany acts as the head of this team, but the most vital factor when choosing\nthis individual is to ensure that the person in charge can make important\nfinancial and business decisions in an emergency.  The team can also consist of financial, safety\nand operational members of the company who can provide support and critical\nknowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The emergency response plan should document these key personnel, their phone numbers and any contact information required should the emergency occur outside of normal business hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listed in the plan should also be emergency contact numbers for response agencies in the area of operation of the business. <\/strong>These numbers can be extracted easily from the plan and posted up for all employees to see in the office.  It is often the case that due to the heightened tensions brought on by the emergency, employees may forget these numbers. It is therefore beneficial to have a readily available list that can easily be viewed by all persons in the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All plans should include the\nsteps that should be taken in the event\nof an emergency.  Some steps are\napplicable to all situations, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n