6 Steps You Can Take Now to Prepare Your Business for Disaster

For most business owners, success means a strong reliance on organization and structure. In order for your business to thrive, you have to ensure that day-to-day operations run smoothly and on schedule. When a disaster strikes, all of that prior organization goes out the window. Suddenly, you find yourself scrambling to safeguard your property, assets, and employees. In an instant, the livelihood of all you have worked for can be threatened.

From flooding to fire, unforeseen disasters are an unfortunate occurrence for businesses every year. In such events, pre-loss planning measures can be the difference between full recovery and closing your doors for good. Help ensure your business is protected from the unexpected with these steps:

1. Take Preventative Steps - The greatest risks for fire or flooding often do not come from external sources. Unmaintained systems within your facility could very well be your greatest threat to security. Faulty wiring or a roof leak can disrupt your operations as drastically as a tropical storm. Keep records of maintenance on all important systems throughout your structure and make sure all safety features such as smoke detectors are working properly.
2. Have an Evacuation Plan - If an emergency situation presents itself, how will you get yourself, your employees, and anyone else on your premises to safety? To avoid a chaotic and potentially deadly situation, have a pre-planned evacuation guide that includes primary and secondary evacuation routes, as well as a designated meeting area outside the facility. Ensure that these designated routes are clearly marked, well-lit, and free of obstacles at all times.
3. Keep an Emergency Kit - Injuries and disasters go hand-in-hand. Keep a well-stocked emergency kit on hand and easily accessible at all times.
4. Protect Business Records - Well-kept records are vital for any functioning business. However, keeping these records in a file cabinet or on a hard drive in the office does little to protect them in the event of a fire or flood. A cloud-based service is the best way to ensure that your records are always accessible. In addition, a fire and water-proof safe should be used for any important paper documents.
5. Understand Your Risk for Disaster - Some areas are simply at a higher risk than others for events like flooding, hurricanes, or wildfires. Know the specific risks that affect your location and prepare accordingly.
6. Know Your Insurance Coverage - Along with understanding your risk for certain types of disaster comes the need for proper insurance coverage. Familiarize yourself with your policy and make any adjustments that may be necessary to ensure you are fully covered in the event of an emergency.

Pre-Loss Planning Services for Businesses

When it comes to helping businesses plan ahead and bounce back quickly following disaster, no one does it better than Guarantee Restoration. Our wide range of pre-loss planning services are designed to fully document your business’ pre-loss condition and streamline the restoration process, allowing you to reopen as soon as possible. For more information on our pre-loss planning services, contact GRS today.