Now that we are in November, winter is nearly upon us. So, there is no better time to check that your disaster recovery plan includes all of the possible winter risk factors that your business may face.

What are the winter specific risk factors your business may face?

Winter brings with it some very unique risk factors, as well as others which you may face throughout other times of the year.

• Snow – can cause issues for staff travelling to their place of work and create safety issues for people coming to your premises
• Ice – cold weather can cause pipes to freeze. If pipes burst, then you could face significant property and stock damage
• Heavy rain – can lead to flooding which can have a devastating impact on any business
• High winds – if you have any vulnerabilities in the structure of your building or perimeter fencing, high winds can exacerbate these
• Premises being vacant for prolonged periods over the Christmas period – can create vulnerability to break ins, theft and vandalism if your property is not being monitored

Why is now a good time to review your disaster recovery plan?

A disaster recovery plan is only as good as the amount of effort that you as a business put into creating it and maintaining and updating it.

If you created your plan back in the summer months you may not have covered all of the winter risks that your business may face.

You can also put some of the actions into place that you may have noted in your disaster recovery plan which relate to the winter months. This may include actions such as 

• Reviewing your CCTV and security of your building ahead of the Christmas period
• Ensuring that your building heating is set so as to avoid pipes freezing in cold weather
• Carrying out building maintenance checks to minimise risk of winter related damage
• Making sure you have grit and salt to allow you to clear pathways into your premises

Now may be a good time to also train your staff on how they should deal with winter related risks. Again, you must ensure that staff are well trained when it comes to disaster recovery. If you have created a plan but not informed your staff or trained them in how to deal with disaster then no matter how good your plan is, you won’t be able to take quick decisive action.

Read our recent blog on getting your business ready for winter for more tips on how to prepare and get ahead of the weather.

At First Recovery, we are specialists in disaster recovery. We can provide support to your business at time of disaster, including relocating you to a recovery centre and providing back up IT systems. If you have any questions about our service or how we can help contact us today.