Bird flu outbreak reinforces need for urgent disaster planning, warns Croner

This weekís bird flu outbreak at Bernard Matthews should be a wake-up call to companies to develop or review contingency plans to protect themselves from the risk of unexpected events, warns UK workplace health and safety experts Croner.

The outbreak is just another incident to add to the many risks ñ from natural disasters, terrorism, accidents to employee fraud, industrial espionage and IT hackers ñ facing todayís businesses.

And those that donít have plans in place could be facing crippling losses or financial ruin should disaster strike.

Croner is urging companies to prepare for such events through proactive contingency planning, which should form an integral part of the business strategy.

This will enable managers to guard against these unexpected events, ensuring that the long term economic health of the business is safeguarded and employees are fully protected.

However, contingency planning is often off-putting to businesses as it is viewed as a time consuming and difficult process to manage, especially for those who are already dealing with dozens of other day-to-day priorities.

Richard Smith, employment services director at Croner, believes too many employers take an ëostrich-approachí to disaster planning, especially when it comes to the most common types of threat such as fire, burglary, computer hackers and weather emergencies.

ìThe events at Bernard Matthews show that no matter how thorough the precautions are, disaster can strike a business anywhere and at anytime,î says Richard Smith.

ìEmployersí optimism that it ëwonít happen to themí unfortunately doesnít stand up to the fact that businesses lose money every day through unforeseen circumstances.

ìAnd while such apocalyptic events might seem remote possibilities, thereís nothing fictional about 9/11, the London bombings in July 2005 or the threat of a full blown bird flu pandemic striking the UK.î

While no-one can be prepared entirely for the unexpected, businesses should be assessing the risks to their business to ensure they can hit the ground running in the event of an emergency.

This will ultimately minimise the negative impact on their business and ensure the safety of their staff.

Cronerís practical disaster planning pocket book has been written to help businesses create and maintain effective contingency plans and put them into practice when required. ëDisaster Planningí covers a range of incidents, from major explosions or attacks, through to coping with power failure or flooding.

The 60-page book advises managers on processes for putting plans together, rehearsing emergency evacuation procedures and vital business continuity issues such as setting up temporary premises, maintaining employee morale and providing counselling in the event of a disaster.

ëDisaster Planningí reviews and offers strategic advice on a comprehensive range of threats to ensure businesses stand the best chance of a swift recovery should the worst happen.

Richard Smith says: ìWe strongly recommend that businesses of all sizes prepare for disasters, and by taking time now, they could save themselves from significant financial losses in the future.î

ëDisaster Planningí is available to purchase for 12 by calling 020 8247 1632, emailing sales@croner.co.uk, or visiting: