Summary

This page gives information and other contact details about what to do if there was an interruption or incident and your business was unable to carry on as normal. By following the guidance it will ensure that in the event of an emergency or crisis you will be able to continue with your critical business functions.   

 

Attachments

Adobe Acrobat's portable document format (pdf). To view these files you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. This can be downloaded free at Adobe's web site| [External].

 

 

Be Prepared…

 

What would you do if your office or business premises were not available, all your paperwork had been destroyed and the computer network and servers were off line?

We all provide essential services for the community many of which become more critical during major incidents or emergency situations and it is essential that they continue.

 

What is Business Continuity?

 

Business Continuity Management is the anticipation of an interruption or incident and the process of planning to ensure that your critical business functions continue in a crisis or emergency. It also ensures that the remainder of your business functions are recovered in a rehearsed, controlled and phased manner.

Business Continuity Plans need to be clear, concise and tailored to the needs of the business. Unplanned events can have catastrophic effects and the disruptive incidents can come from accidents, criminal activity or natural disasters. Business Continuity should become part of the way you perform business. It is better to plan for incidents, which may affect your business, rather than having to catch up when a problem occurs.

Why is BCM important?

 

Research has shown that:

• 90% of businesses that lose their data in an emergency close within two years.
• 80% of businesses suffering a major incident close within 18 months if they have no effective BCM plan.
• 58% of UK businesses were disrupted in some way by the events of 11 September 2001, with one in eight companies being seriously affected.
  
  

 

Advice and assistance

 

Oadby and Wigston Borough Council maintains plans to ensure that they can continue to exercise their functions in the event of an emergency, so far as is reasonably practicable.  In addition to this duty, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council wants to support local businesses and voluntary organisations in being prepared for emergencies.

Collectively, local authorities within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have produced a leaflet that gives an overview of Business Continuity Planning and Business Continuity Management for businesses and voluntary organisations.

'Business Continuity - Can your business .....survive disruption?' (pdf doc, 120kb)| [external link]

 

 

Further advice is  available from:- A 10 minute self assessment (check list) to determine how much business continuity planning your organisation has already carried out. Source: London Prepared| website [external link] A 5 step guide to business continuity planning (tailored to the number of employees: less that 10, 10-50, 50-250, 250 or above. Source: London Prepared| website [external link] Protecting against Terrorism, 38 page booklet published by the Security Service, M15, which focuses on protective security planning and includes business continuity advice. It may be downloaded from the MI5| website, security advice section (PDF 880KB). [external link]

Business Continuity institute good Practice Guidelines Expecting the Unexpected (PDF)| [external link]

HM Government - Preparing For emergencies business Continuity Advice [external link]
Generic Challenges to Business Continuity| [external link]

 

Business Link
Prepare Your Business for Disaster| [external link]

Environment Agency
Flood Preparation Guide for Businesses| [external link]

 

Cabinet office Business Check-list for Flu Pandemic Planning| (PDF) [external link]

 

The Emergency Planning College (EPC)| [external link] is the leading provider of training for emergency preparation, attracting delegates with responsibility for preventing, planning for, responding to or recovering from a major incident. The EPC runs courses on business continuity as well as other aspects of civil protection: