How do you stay in business in the event of an emergency? How do you access data about your staff, customers and suppliers in order to keep operating and maintain business continuity?
It is essential to plan to protect a business from the impact of an emergency.
Emergencies include fires, earthquakes, floods, storms and pandemic illnesses. Each of these emergencies has occurred in New Zealand, and each of these emergencies has the potential to have a devastating effect on a business.
The Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 requires an employer to plan for an emergency situation. Employers must have procedures in place to deal with emergencies and ensure that employees are well informed about these procedures. Emergency procedures need to be specific to a workplace and directly relate to the work being performed. For example, a workplace that has hazardous substances on site requires specific procedures in place for managing any risks arising from hazardous substances as well as general emergency procedures.
Employers should keep backup files of all essential information in case they cannot re-enter the workplace after an emergency to retrieve documentation. This was a lesson learned from the earthquakes in Canterbury when some employers did not have staff contact details in order to check their immediate safety and well being, and businesses were unable to resume normal work because they could not access their paperwork.
The Department of Labour and the Environmental Protection Authority have designed a set of simple forms to help you identify and manage your emergency procedures. The templates cover:
Fire
Chemical spills
LPG gas leaks
CPR
First Aid
Natural Disasters
There’s space for you to write down:
Essential phone numbers
Warden names and contact details
First aiders’ names
Fire fighting equipment locations
Who to report incidents to
There’s a set that most workplaces can use available here and a specialised set of forms for farms here. Simply: Download and print as many templates as you need.
Together with your employees, work out the most appropriate procedures and who should have responsibilities.
Ensure that all employees know about your emergency procedures, including where you will keep this information, and where emergency equipment is stored.
For further information to help prepare your emergency procedures, crisis management and continuity planning for your business, visit The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management and Business.govt.nz
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