Local businesses can test their ability to survive a major fire, power cut or flu pandemic by using FREE resources downloadable from our website.
If small and medium companies do not test their business continuity plans they cannot be sure they will work when needed. Only 39% of companies actually test their plans and 50% say they wouldn’t test them last year.
Using our easy desktop scenarios companies can simulate emergency situations and discover if their plan protects vital assets, enables the business to carry on and whether it might help save money. Companies can download scenarios that could affect them and a series of “injects” to be used to test their reaction to an evolving emergency.
Create your plan and 10 minute health check
What would you do if? …there was a fire or flooding at your premises?
Buncefield Survivor To Share His Experiences
Further Guidance, advice, services and products
Events past, present and future
Survival is not compulsory
Every organisation needs some level of business continuity planning – from small owner-managed businesses to large multi-national companies.
The priorities for every business are different. A small business continuity plan can be as straightforward as storing copies of key business information away from the workplace in a secure location. Bigger companies may need more planning.
What would you do if? …
there was a fire or flooding at your premises?
- Do you have a contacts list of all employees, supplies and customers off-site so that you can inform them?
- Do you have appropriate insurance?
- Do you have the number of a contractor that can come in and pump the water out of your premises?
You cannot stop every incident from affecting your business but you can put a business continuity plan in place to try and keep your business going. When creating your plan consider how to can prepare your business for flooding and fire. Also have a look at the national pandemic influenza checklist for businesses.
We have also developed a business continuity leaflet for care homes. If you’ve got a relative in a care home do you know whether they have a business continuity plan to continue to provide your loved one with expected level of service.
Buncefield Survivor To Share His Experiences
“Planning for emergencies only seems expensive until you need it, and then it’s priceless,” says Duncan Stirling, a Shefford man who helped his company recover from the Buncefield oil storage disaster. He is now calling on Bedfordshire businesses to prepare for the unexpected or risk going out of business.
Click here for the full
Create your plan
- Read and carry out the 10-minute business continuity ‘health check’
- Make your decision – you can either:
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- carry the risk, or
- put in place a business continuity plan; download a template plan in Word
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Buncefield Oil Depot fire:
Businesses could not access their sites even when buildings were not damaged. 25,000 employees were unable to work or were working from alternative locations. Many businesses were underinsured or inappropriately insured. Total cost
to businesses £1billion. (SDPL report)
A flu pandemic
is likely to reduce your workforce by up to 50% for prolonged periods. (Department of Health).
Further Guidance, advice, services and products
- VSAT (Vulnerability Self Assessment Tool) – a free self assessment tool that takes no longer than 30 minutes to complete, provides you with an assessment report and sign-posts you to best practice
- Robust v2 – is a business continuity package you can use
- Business Continuity Institute – for free good practice guides, training, workshops, a bookstore and accreditation
- ISO 22301 (previously known as BS25999) – The international standard for business continuity planning
- Centre for Protection of National Infrastructure – for the top 10 security tips, guidance to create a security plan, to learn about pre-employment screening / how to handle bomb threats / how to make your building secure / about cyber-security
- Environment Agency – for specific help to put together a flood plan and to find out if your business could be flooded
- National Counter Terrorism Security Office – if you’ve been to a Project Argus event
- Luton Borough Council and Bedford Borough Council – for general advice
- Timebank – This is a newsfeed service run by Central Bedfordshire Council and when you join you will receive a voucher for an hours free business advice from a local business professional
- Business Continuity for Dummies – The Cabinet Office have helped develop this guide on business continuity