1. How vulnerable would your business be if a disaster or other emergency were to occur?

• Know your region.
• Identify external emergency response resources.

2. What is your plan to protect the business and its employees and customers before, during, and after an emergency?

• Identify a planning committee.
• Update your Emergency Action Plan at least  annually and ensure that vital contact information (employees, supply chain, clients, etc.) is up to date.

3. What can we do to integrate emergency preparedness procedures into our work place culture?

• Train employees what to do when an emergency happens.
• Obtain needed equipment and supplies.
• Practice your plan. Practice makes perfect and helps you test your plan’s effectiveness. 
• Encourage personal preparedness among employees. 
• Help your community get prepared.

Know your region and the types of disaster most likely to have an impact on your business.

• Find out what emergencies have occurred in the past and what impact these had on other businesses in your area. One way to do this is to review a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA) obtained from your local emergency management agency.
• Consider your facility’s physical capacity to resist damage and proximity to flood plains, seismic faults, dams, hazardous materials, nuclear power plants, and other hazards.
• Consult with your insurance agent and learn what coverage is available and what precautions to take for disasters that may impact your business. Remember, many general policies do not cover earthquake and flood damage.

Know who to contact in an emergency and how they can help. Identify and obtain agreements with external emergency response resources that will provide assistance during a disaster or other emergency.

• Local and state police
• Local government officials, emergency management office
• Local public health agency
• Local American Red Cross chapter
• National Weather Service
• Telephone, water, gas and electric companies
• Neighboring businesses

Identify a planning committee that is responsible for developing and implementing an emergency response plan. 

Write an Emergency Action Plan. Your plan should include:

• A clearly designated leadership structure that indicates who is in charge during emergency situations.
• A system for warning employees about emergencies and communicating with employees and local emergency management  officials during a disaster or emergency.
• Considerations for the special needs of employees with disabilities and medical conditions.

Train employees. Consider partnering with community organizations to help create comprehensive preparedness training. All employees should know:

• Their role during a disaster and the roles and responsibilities of key personnel at your facility.
• Warning and communication procedures.
• Evacuation and shelter-in-place procedures.

Obtain needed equipment and supplies. Designated employees should know how to access and use safety equipment and emergency preparedness supplies:

• First aid kits
• Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) 
• Fire extinguishers
• Smoke alarms
• Carbon monoxide alarms
• Shelter-in-place supplies

Encourage personal preparedness among employees. Your employees will be better able to help your business respond and recover if they know how to prepare at  work and home.

• Offer first aid, CPR/AED and preparedness training. Have at least 10% of your employees trained in first aid and CPR/AED skills to handle emergencies at work.
• Encourage your employees and their families to make and practice emergency action plans for their household.
• Encourage employees to identify alternate routes for going to and from your facility.
• Ensure employees keep their emergency contact information current.
• Encourage employees to have an out-of-town contact they can text or call during an emergency.
• Encourage employees to have emergency preparedness kits at work, at home and in their vehicles.
• Encourage employees to learn about the emergency plans at their children’s schools.

Delivering for Good is one way we directs our business strengths toward pressing community needs.

Through Delivering for Good, we lend our global network and unparalleled logistics expertise to nonprofit organizations with mission- critical needs in times of disaster, and to help  communities heal, learn, and thrive.

For more than 25 years, we have helped the Red Cross deliver relief in response to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and floods. our support helps the Red Cross by ensuring access to relief supplies for victims of disaster through in-kind shipping and financial support.

The American Red Cross name, emblems and copyrighted materials are used with its permission, which in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, opinion or  political position. The American Red Cross logo is a registered  trademark owned by the American National Red Cross. For more  information about the American Red Cross, please visit redcross.org 

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