Pub. 2 2017 Issue 2

14 www.ctaahq.org Strategies You have at least four options when it comes to developing a strategy: • You can do nothing. is might be appropriate for a disaster that isn’t likely to occur. For example, you probably don’t need to worry about Florida’s sink holes if you live in Utah. • You can remove the risk. If you’ve got hazardous materials stored in a backroom, you can choose to dispose of them safely before they hurt someone. • You can reduce the risk. If earthquakes are a problem, maybe you can hire an engineer to help you make your business building safer. If ooding is a problem, maybe you need to install pumps and make sure valuable documents are never stored where they could be damaged by the water. You probably have a fairly sophisticated computer system; make sure you have a way to safeguard and recover data. • You can transfer some or all of the risk. This is what insurance companies live for. Pay them a premium, and if the worst happens, they’ll give you the cash you need to replace what you lost. It’s better if nothing bad happens, of course — lost time and inconvenience are not something any insurance company will pay you for — but having an insurance policy might be the di erence between keeping your business and losing it. at might be worth paying the necessary premiums. e Plan As a business owner, you should know that probably the most important part of your plan is deciding who has the authority to put the plan into motion, and who has authority to speak for your business while your company is dealing with the disaster. It shouldn’t just be you, although you can certainly be on the list. You may simply be unable to do what you would normally do, after all, but you still need to have someone else who could, and will, step forward to take your place until you can take charge again. e next thing to do is to actually write up a plan. ink about how to assess the extent of the disaster. Walk through what you think you, and the people who work for you, should be doing. Do you need to be part of a community e ort? Is it appropriate to send people home? Remember that you want to keep people as safe as possible, keep your business and its assets as safe as possible, and prevent a minor emergency from becoming a major one. Consider having employees take classes from the Red Cross to teach them basic rst aid, CPR, and how to use an automated external de brillator. ink about buying a de brillator. e Test Testing starts with a checklist. One person, or a team, should go through your plan and make sure everything is there that ought to be there, and that everything is up to date. Other tests include sitting around a table and going through a review process with a group of people; testing the plan by running a simulation, like a re drill or earthquake drill; conducting a test away from where your building is located to check things like data recovery; and doing a full test where you shut down all or some of the critical business processes. is last should be considered carefully, especially with respect to notifying your customers about what is happening. Make sure the bene ts are worth the costs, and make sure you aren’t subjecting people to unnecessary risks. In particular, don’t scare people if there isn’t a good reason for it. Maintenance If you will come up with a plan and maintain it, you will be better prepared to handle whatever happens. at certainly beats the alternative. Handling Disaster | Continued from page 13