Disaster Preparation Tips To Help New Small Business Owners
When you own a small business, you need to be practical about recognizing the risk of natural disasters. These types of events can be devastating to a business, particularly one that is ill-prepared to face it. The more proactive you are about preparing your business for a potential disaster, the better your chances will be of restoring what you lost and getting business flowing again afterward. Here are some tips that every small business owner needs to know about disaster preparation.
You Have to Have a Plan
Even if you're one of those entrepreneurs who operates on inspiration and thrives on the unknown, this is one aspect of your business that needs to be planned out. Consider how you would handle any emergency or potential disaster and put a written plan in place so that you and your employees know exactly how they should respond in the face of such an emergency.
You might want to talk with your commercial insurance company about an on-site safety consultation to help you with your plan development. The insurance company can help you spot potential vulnerabilities as well as the best practices for getting everyone to safety. Put evacuation routes in conspicuous places and make sure everyone knows what is expected.
You Need to Have an Emergency Kit
Emergency kits are important investments as well, because sometimes even the best preparation and evacuation plan prove insufficient. From earthquakes that strike without warning to sudden tornadoes, you need to be prepared for the chances that you won't be able to evacuate in time.
Build a survival kit for the business. Consider how many employees are usually in the office at any one time to be sure that you stock enough stuff for everyone. You'll want plenty of first aid supplies. A few first aid kits would be best, because that makes it easier to take supplies to different parts of the building as needed.
You'll also want to have non-perishable food on hand along with several gallons of water per person. Stock up on emergency lanterns and emergency radios and flashlights, too. Whistles are a great purchase as well. While this may seem to be trivial, whistles in an emergency kit can act as a sound beacon when blown by employees. If you need to alert rescue workers to your presence, this is a great way to do it without a lot of energy required.
You Should Always Be Insured
While commercial insurance is important for any business, you need to consider potential disasters when you buy your policy. Don't sell yourself short on the coverage limits. Instead, make sure that your policy has enough coverage to help you replace everything in the event of a disaster that leads to a total loss. Talk with your commercial insurance agent, like Mariano Agency, about conducting a coverage audit to ensure that you have enough protection in the policies that you're carrying.
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