As a business owner, you know that storms can do a lot of damage to your property and holdings and can often interrupt your day-to-day operations both during and after such a weather event. You’ve invested too much time, effort, and money in your business to allow such a situation to ruin all that you have worked so hard to achieve.
Here are some storm preparation tips that can help keep your business and workforce safe:
- Inspections. Start by inspecting your building and its premises so that you, your equipment, and your employees are protected. Look for leaks in the roof or walls, cracks near doors and windows, or loose trim that can blow off and injure someone. These issues could also lead to serious water damage hazards for your business. If you are leasing your space, submit any work requests to your landlord right away so that these problems can be solved immediately.
- Maintenance and Insurance. Check your building maintenance agreement to see what processes are in place to handle issues that may arise from excess water or flooding. Safe entry and exit to your place of business are extremely important during bad weather to keep people safe and accident-free. Make sure you are well-informed when it comes to your business’s insurance coverage and warranties for equipment and machinery. The coverage should cover any storm damages and water damages or injuries that could happen during a storm or its aftermath in your area. If it does not, it may be a smart business move to upgrade your policy.
- Emergency Contacts. Compile a list of phone numbers needed during an emergency, such as police and fire department, your landlord, insurance company, plumbers, legal entities, or the utility companies in case of a power outage. Ensure that this list is easily accessible to anyone who will be in your building and store it in the cloud in case you lose your wifi or computers.
- Workforce. During a storm, people may not be able to get into work, or they may not be able to return home. Think through as many possible scenarios as you can and have a plan to handle each one. Do you need to stock up on food and blankets? Is your office equipped with flashlights, batteries, and a first aid kit? Does one of your employees have a four-wheel drive vehicle that could be used to help in an emergency? Make sure you have a plan when it comes to communication methods to employees, vendors, and emergency teams. If power is out, do you have a way to keep cell phones charged, for example? Posts on your social media accounts to let everyone know of emergency closures, etc. can be an invaluable help; assign that task to someone who you know is reliable and a good communicator. If your business can be run from a remote location, ensure that employees know what would need to be done should they have to work from home for a time. Have a chain of command in place so that information gets to everyone who needs it.
Clearly, there is a lot to think about when it comes to stormy weather and all the challenges that can pose to a business owner. Have a plan in place before Spring storms begin, and be safe. Ascension General Contractors of Nashville is here to help with renovations and repairs following weather-related damages to your business.