5 Ways to Prepare for Natural Disasters in the Workplace

Many organizations have recently been impacted by hurricanes, tornados, flooding and wildfires. And, (while we certainly don’t want to wish away the warm weather), many other entities will be impacted by ice storms and blizzards soon. But, how should organizations handle such natural disasters in the workplace?

It’s not just as simple as closing your doors and sending your staff home to wait out whatever is on the horizon. Organizations should have emergency preparedness plans in place; ones that can easily be implemented when mother nature rears its ugly head.

Here are 5 important items organizations should consider:

1. Have an evacuation plan in place to ensure that employees can get to a safe location
2. Have emergency supply kits that are easily accessible and up-to-date
3. Communicate and practice evacuation plans with employees on a regular basis
4. Store important business records and documents in a secure digital location
5. Create a communication plan so employees know how to contact their employer

While plans cannot prevent a natural disaster or inclement weather, they should make the recovery of such an event just a bit easier. OSHA also provides a number of resources to assist organizations with the recovery efforts after inclement weather and major disasters. The DOL also provides guidance on how to handle employment wages during natural disasters and recovery.

Remember, inclement weather and natural disasters will happen – there’s no way for any organization to prevent them. But, organizations that have emergency preparedness plans in place are better poised to weather the storm.