The Plan, Do, Check, Act Model helps us to prepare for such eventualities as far as possible.
Plan You can see a possible issue ahead - eg. a power-cut during the night. How is it going to impact your business? Will equipment be damaged from the downtime? Will staff time be lost? Consider all the angles and don't ignore your gut! Do Explore what the impact of the issue would be by asking more questions:
- Will it cause particular damage to your machinery?
- Are staff trained on restarting the machinery?
- What is the start up process?
- Could a fire be caused?
Check It's time to make sure you have everything in place to cope, and if not, to do something about it...
- Do you have a procedure ready, and are your staff trained in how to see it through?
- Do you need contact numbers with specialist providers, to assist if there is an issue?
- What are the call-out numbers and who on your staff can call them?
Act Put a note in your calendar for three months time and re-assess:
- Has anything happened?
- Do you need to make a new plan?
- Have you hired any new staff who need to be brought up to speed?
Also, even if you feel solid in your own plans, consider the wider context:
- Do you have clients who might need your assistance?
- Have you thought of the impact on your business should one of your service providers be affected by blackouts?
If you need to assess your safety procedures, but don't know where to start, we can help. Our expert team can advise you on the issues to prepare for, specific to your business, and get your policies and processes back on track.
abarrett@whatnosafety.co.uk | 01722 326 390 | www.whatnosafety.co.uk