Advice for business
What do I do in an emergency?
The golden rule to remember for businesses large and small is to prepare for the unthinkable. If events conspire to make the unbelievable into reality, the challenge for you and your business is to make that reality survivable.
There are many agencies, Government and otherwise, who can help you develop a watertight business continuity plan for use in an emergency. These include the Home Office, London Prepared, London First, the Business Continuity Institute and the Continuity Forum.
You can also talk to the police, fire and ambulance services to discover their needs and what they can offer you, as well as the council who can advise you on issues such as media and communications, highways and public transport, housing, schools, social services and unsafe buildings.
Risks associated with utility companies, such as water or gas leaks, should be considered when writing your plan and you should also think about what information utility companies may need to know from your business if there is a major incident.
The council is planning to start up a local business forum, at which planning for a major incident will be one of the main issues of discussion. It is important that you do consider how you can work together with both neighbouring businesses and businesses based in other parts of the borough. How can you help each other?
And remember – in an uncertain world, you owe it to yourself to be an organisation that is confident of being ‘back in business’ in the quickest possible time.
