New IBHS Guide Helps Businesses Prepare for Disasters

Small business is big business in this country — accounting for 99.7 percent of all employers in the United States, according to the United States Small Business Administration.

But unlike their larger counterparts, small businesses are especially at risk from disaster, since few have the resources or knowledge to develop full-scale property protection and continuity plans.

That’s why the Institute for Business & Home Safety created Open for Business, a disaster planning toolkit in booklet and CD-Rom formats. The guide helps business owners reduce the potential for loss should disaster strike, and reopen quickly should they be forced to close. This creates a savings for the business, and also benefits the employees and customers who rely on it.

Open for Business includes an assessment tool that helps the business determine its susceptibility to disaster wherever it has facilities and minimize its risks.

The toolkit also includes materials to help organize the business’ critical information and review its essential operations, both of which lead to developing a continuity plan.

“Ongoing employment is a key element in disaster recovery,” said IBHS Assistant Vice President of Business Protection Diana McClure. “But that’s just one of the many reasons why it’s important for businesses to continue operations following a crisis. They also provide products or services and contribute to the tax base.”

The Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) provided a grant to support the publication of Open for Business.

To access the toolkit, visit the IBHS Web site http://www.disastersafety.org and click on Business Protection.