DO you as a business owner have a plan in place for what will happen to your business during and following an emergency?

Do you and your staff know what to do in the event of an earthquake, a hurricane, a fire?

These and other topics were covered in the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (AmCham TT) Business Continuity workshop at the Frank Stockdale Building, UWI, St Augustine, on May 16.

The event was held in collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM) as part of National Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Month.

There was lively discussion among the 30 attendees representing small and medium enterprises as facilitator Wendy Dickson of AmCham TT’s ARISE committee explained the importance of business continuity planning.

AmChamTT project assistant Ariana Gayadeen said business continuity planning was essential, not a luxury.

“In an increasingly connected and unpredictable world, the risks are coming at us faster and hitting harder. Many of us have felt this firsthand, whether through flooding, cyber-attacks, supply chain disruptions or the effects of economic instability. If there’s one lesson we have learned, it’s that waiting until a crisis hits is no longer is no longer an option.

“This workshop is about being intentional in the steps we take to strengthen our businesses and protect our people. That means thinking about risks before they materialise. It means identifying weak points in our operations and working to fix them and having real strategies in place when destruction strikes.”

She said the world is connected and a problem in one country or part of society could have a ripple effect.

ODPM mitigation manager Peter Kalicharan said he hoped the lessons learned during the workshop would be applied by those present and promoted to their fellow business owners.

Dickson said it was often difficult to get senior management to buy into and support the need for business continuity planning. She said the people attending the workshop will be able to explain and enable their staff to understand what was needed.

“Business continuity is about preparing for any unforeseen incident that may occur. The world is getting weirder everyday, we have increasingly epic weather events, multiplying global geopolitical uncertainties and stubborn economic stressors. Business community planning addresses both natural and human disasters that may bring business to a halt. While it is not possible to avoid disasters, companies can protect themselves by planning for them.

“Business continuity creates roadmaps to follow in the event of any emergency. It’s essentially a form of insurance and it gives the company the comfort of knowing that even if a disaster should strike, it won’t be overwhelmed.”

Dickson said the ISO 22301 standard is an international standard for business continuity management systems (BCMS). It provides a framework for organisations to plan, establish, implement, and maintain a BCMS to ensure business continuity during disruptions. She said the