Emergency Preparedness and Response

Poll Shows Businesses Lacking in Preparedness

By Chris Kilbourne Oct 31, 2011 Emergency Preparedness and Response

Updated: Oct 31, 2011

Is your workplace prepared for an emergency or disaster? A new poll shows that many employers may not be as well prepared as they should be.

More than a decade after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, only a third of surveyed organizations believe they are well prepared for threats and disasters, even though about three-quarters have preparedness plans.

A new poll from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that organizations with more than 2,500 employees were more likely to be prepared than smaller employers.

“The findings reveal an opportunity for organizations to take a closer look at their disaster preparedness plans to ensure these plans are living documents that translate into protecting the safety of their employees and the continuity of their business operations should disasters strike,” says Evren Esen, manager of SHRM’s Survey Research Center.

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When SHRM polled on this subject in 2001, about 54 percent of employers said they had a preparedness plan in place. More than 60 percent of members recently polled said they implemented or updated plans as a result of September 11.

Among the preparedness measures employers polled have taken are:

Training (48%)
Business continuity planning (47%)
Communication plans for emergency situations (42%)
Monitoring employee e-mail and Internet use (33%)
Developing backup data storage systems (30%)
Installing or upgrading video cameras or closed-circuit television surveillance equipment (37%)

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