As we’ve seen over the past few weeks, severe weather events can hit at any time. Unfortunately it seems as though record rainfall and monumental wind gusts might be a regular occurrence going forward, so it’s important that your business is prepared. To help you out, we’ve put together some important safety considerations you should factor into your plan to prepare your business for a severe weather event.

Have an evacuation plan

With some weather events there are opportunities for warnings and time to prepare, but with others, there just aren’t. Either way, it’s important that you have an evacuation plan in place should your employees need to leave your place of business at any time. This should be written out in detail and communicated to everyone so that should the worst happen, your team knows where they need to go to be safe.

Keep emergency supplies on hand

Every workplace should have emergency supplies on the premises, and not just a simple first aid kit. If your employees become stuck at their place of work for a period of time, you’ll need to have supplies at the ready. These can include bottled water, non-perishable food, a torch, batteries, and that first aid kit.

Store business records safely online

If you’ve got physical copies of your important business records and documents, make sure you also have digital copies stored in a secure online location. Events like flooding and fire can easily wipe out any paper copies you have, even if they’re stored securely, so it pays to have backup digital copies in case of such an event.

Put your people first

It’s easy to worry about what might happen to your buildings or your business assets, but during times of crisis, you need to put yourself and your team first. That includes ensuring everyone is safe, even if they are not at your workplace, and that you’re prioritising mental health – including your own.

Make sure your commercial insurance is up to date

This one seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how often people have been meaning to update their cover, only to forget about it amongst the everyday running of the business. As we said, weather events and natural disasters can hit at any time, so it’s important that when they do, you’ve got the right business insurance to help you recover faster.

If you’re unsure whether your cover is enough, or you’ve got questions about making a claim during this time, feel free to reach out – we’re here to help keep you and your team safe.