Construction / 1 min read
Houston has survived, sometimes barely, the first half of the 2024 hurricane season. Is your business or project prepared for another Hurricane Beryl-like event this year? What about a surprise storm like the May 16 derecho? The events of this year have demonstrated how imperative it is for leaders and key employees in every business to know their disaster response policies and be ready to implement when inclement weather strikes.
For businesses, there are many important considerations in forming or implementing a disaster response policy.
- How can you communicate with all employees, particularly in the event that email service is unavailable or cell phone service is unreliable?
- Who will coordinate coverage if employees are unable to appear for work on their regular schedule or anticipate being out of the office for an extended period because of an injury or property damage?
- Do you have a way to notify clients or customers that operations may be limited in the aftermath of a disaster?
- Are there plans for operating your business if your primary physical location sustains extensive damage?
If you are working on a construction project, additional considerations may include:
- Is there builder’s risk insurance coverage for the project? Do the employees managing the project understand how to make a claim if necessary?
- Do the contracts address who is responsible for securing the site before an anticipated storm event?
- Is there a force majeure provision in the contract governing your work? And if so, do the employees managing the project know how and when notice must be provided?
Disaster response policies cover natural weather events, equipment failures, and technology outages. As all of these disruptions seem to have been in the news lately, now would be a great time to look into these considerations to update or create your disaster response policies if you haven’t already.