Flood - Have you prepared

- Published Date (29 Jun 2007)

What do I do now?

A flood is one of the most devastating natural disasters which can happen, causing wide scale damage and loss.

After a flood has occurred it is time to pick up the pieces and carry on, but how can we achieve this safely?

Checks After a Flood

Have all electrics been inspected and deemed safe by a competent & trained person?

Have all items been PAT tested to ensure they are safe by a trained and competent person?

Have the gas supply to the premises been inspected to ensure that they are safe?

Has the employees work area been inspected and deemed safe without any surface water or other hazards as a result of the flood?

Are welfare facilities still in full working use without water damage which may incur ill health or accidents?

Has the entire premises been inspected to ensure that it is safe for all employees, visitors & members of the public.

Have all vehicles been inspected by a competent and trained person to ensure they are safe to use. (are brakes in full working order?)

How can I Minimise the impact and cost if it happens again?

Flood evacuation procedure?

Carry out and record flood evacuation drill?

Flood Risk Assessment

Consider the implementation of racking to store materials and stock above the flood level.

Keep a stock of useful materials, for example, plywood, empty sand bags, hammers, nails.

Are electrical sockets above the flood level.

Train staff in the flood evacuation procedure.

Make staff aware of which roads are open during flooding.

Can you relocate computers to a higher point in your premises.

What about my employees

There are also the Employment issues which go hand in hand with the Health & Safety issues.

Your employees have also suffered the same detriment as your business, how have you handled the situation?

Things to consider

All employees are still to be paid in the event of a flood. The occurrence of a flood was not their fault, therefore they should not suffer a loss of wages because of it.

Have the HR Department or Consultants dealt with employees in the correct manner? For example, have all employees been kept informed of the current situation in regards to pay, returning to work, possible redundancies due to the loss of work. Maybe even the other side of the coin where stock has been lost there is now an abundance of work to remanufacture the goods resulting in overtime.


Content kindly provided by www.stallardkaneassociates.com health and safety consultants