Protecting my Business and my Staff

How would you survive a major business interruption?

What would the impacts on your business be in the event of loss of workplace, loss of IT systems, reduced staffing levels or supply chain failure?

Major incidents may affect businesses as well as the general public, so we understand that it is important to provide the business community with advice about how best to reduce the likelihood of disruptive events and, if necessary, how to respond to incidents which may occur. That’s why we’ve compiled the information below and have provided links to further sources of information which will help your business prepare and get back on its feet as quickly as possible should the worst happen.

Events which could disrupt your business

Although emergencies are rare, they can have a significant disruptive impact when they occur – consider the following threats to business as usual:-

Natural events – such as flooding, snow, high winds or damage from storms.

Theft or vandalism – theft or vandalism of machinery or vehicles, computer equipment or data, or damage to your workplace could prove devastating to any company.

Fire – a fire at your premises or in the neighbourhood could affect health and safety, as well as the operation of the business thereafter. For example, loss of contact details of clients and suppliers and / or fire and water damage to stock.

Loss of utilities – loss of power or water supply could severely affect your whole business operation. What would your business do without electricity, gas or water for a day, a week or even a month? What would be the affect on your production, communications or IT?

Outbreak of disease or infection – any outbreak of disease or infection can have serious consequences for a business; to what extent depends on the type of business, the number of people affected and often whether it affects livestock on farms or places that keep animals.

Terrorist attack – whilst unlikely to be directly targeted at a small businesses, this is still a consideration; your neighbourhood may be affected, especially if you are located in the centre of a busy city.

Incidents affecting suppliers or customers – if an incident affects a key supplier, do you have arrangements in place to source alternative supplies? Are you insured if a customer is unable to take your goods and services because of a incident taking place?

Cyber attack – is your business protected from viruses, trojans and hacking? How would your business survive if your data were affected or could not be recovered?

Why should my business prepare for emergencies?

Businesses affected by a disaster that do not have a business continuity plan in place have a reduced chance of surviving disruptive events.

A business continuity plan will ensure everyone knows what to do and will:-

• Give you a competitive advantage
• Reduce your costs
• Help you survive or recover more quickly

Where do I start?

The size and nature of your business will determine how comprehensive your plan needs to be. By following the links below you can assess your business to see how prepared you already are, and find out more information on whether and how to take further action.

Further information

LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Your local authority emergency planning team can provide free advice and information on business continuity planning:-

• Knowsley MBC
• Liverpool City Council
• Sefton MBC
• St Helens MBC
• Wirral MBC

• Association of British Insurers – free online insurance publications and guides.
• Business Link – an introduction to crisis management and business continuity planning, plus a free online assessment tool to help you identify and minimise potential risks to your business.
• Cabinet Office – advice from central government on the importance of business continuity management (BCM) and how to implement a BCM programme, plus a free BCM toolkit.
• Chartered Management Institute – annual business continuity management survey identifying key threats to businesses based on actual events and charting the increasing take-up of BCM by a variety of business sectors.
• Continuity Central – wide-ranging business continuity news and resources from a host of national and international contributors.
• ROBUST – free downloadable business continuity planning software from RISCAuthority and the Fire Protection Association.
• Talking Business Continuity – news, free downloads and case studies from the British Standards Institution, plus links to BS 25999 – the British Standard for business continuity management.
• The Business Continuity Institute – Good Practice Guidelines which draw upon the academic, technical and practical experience of the members of the Business Continuity Institute.
• Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool (VSAT) – online assessment tool from the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.