For many, summer is the most anticipated season of the year—school’s out and it’s time for family vacations, swimming, boating, fishing and other outdoor activities. However, the typical summer weather can also create havoc on the workplace. The ever-changing weather conditions can cause a great amount of damage.
Whether it's an intense thunderstorm or hurricane, storms can pose danger to your staff and interrupt your business-- especially in the summertime when temperatures are at their hottest. When air and water temperatures rise, storms tend to drop more precipitation and hang around longer. Slower, wetter storms mean more potential damage to property.
Here are some tips to keep your employees safe and keep your business running:
Have a Contingency Plan
Thunderstorms, the more common and dangerous event, create a vast number of effects that can be damaging to any sort of business. Dangers such as lightning, strong winds, hail and flash flooding are increasingly becoming the cause of flight cancellations – resulting in many delayed deliveries of shipments. Unforeseen events, such as tornadoes, can form quickly, so companies that have specially trained disaster recovery teams can ensure that their businesses can continue with the least amount of interruption. It is crucial that your company creates alternate solutions and contingency plans to keep your business running as smoothly as possible.
Monitor the Weather
Observing expected weather patterns could help you be proactive and plan ways to avoid any types of shipment delays or business interruption. It is now possible to observe and predict a wide range of atmospheric events in real time, with precision and accuracy. Extensive weather databases and governmental organizations can provide local and daily conditions around the world and provide long-term forecasts. Improved weather prediction allows firms to make decisions quickly. At Quick, our Solutions Team monitors weather patterns and airport delays, and alerts are sent to our operations staff as well as our clients. Contingency plans and alternative routings are then created to help avoid any delays.
Be Prepared!
As summer is becoming more commonly associated with record high temperatures and natural disasters, there are more resources offered to educate those who can possibly be affected. A large percentage of tornadoes occur between 3 and 6 p.m., when most people are at work. In addition, severe thunderstorms can occur at any time – leading to property damage, power outages, or even employee injury. Preventive actions can help to protect your business, ensure the safety of your employees, minimize damage to your property and facilitate the recovery process.
PREVENTATIVE ACTION CHECKLIST
Protect Your Assets:
- Maintain an inventory of all equipment used by your business.
- Develop a schedule for backing up all computer records.
- Keep backups of all tax, accounting, payroll and production records, customer and supplier data off-site.
- Keep copies of all paper and computer files in an accessible but off-site location.
Prepare for Business Continuity:
- Have a business emergency plan.
- Document all processes that keep your business running.
- Determine what processes and equipment is needed to keep your business open.
- Store extra supplies offsite and make a plan for temporary relocation.
Prepare and Protect Your Employees:
- Make sure everyone knows the location of storm shelter areas in the building; conduct annual emergency drills.
- Encourage employees to develop an emergency preparedness plan for their family.
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