Emergencies Happen – So Be Prepared!
Most people know that it is important for your family to have a plan should an emergency arise. It is also important for your small business to have a plan.
Exit Routes
You should have a fire escape route and should hold fire drills annually. This might seem silly, but if an employee does not know the fastest way out of the building in an emergency, the result could be tragic.
Post your exit routes throughout the office, so that all employees can become familiar with them.
Contact
Set a point of contact that employees can call should an emergency take place outside of working hours.
This person would provide information about whether the office will be open and whether or not employees should report to work.
Also, be sure that you have an emergency contact person on file for every single employee. This will let you know who to call should an employee become ill or injured while at work.
What’s the Plan
In parts of the country where natural disasters can happen regularly (such as blizzards in the north or hurricanes in the south) have a plan about what will happen should a natural disaster be imminent.
For example, if a hurricane is 48 hours away, will the office be closed so that employees can make their own preparations? What are your plans for securing the office itself?
Having a plan will let employees know what to expect before and during an emergency. It will also allow you to plan for such an occurrence.
Don’t wait until a disaster occurs to make a plan. Start preparing now.
