Disaster & pandemic preparedness

Disaster preparedness and business continuance planning resources

• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s page on Emergency Preparedness for Business
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's page on Emergency Response
• The National Library of Medicine's page on Disaster Recovery and Environmental Health 
• All Hazards Training Center @ The University of Findlay
• Ready.gov
• Disaster Resource Guide
• Association of Contingency Planners
• Disaster Recovery Institute International
• Disaster Recovery Journal
• Contingency Planners of Ohio

Development of emergency recovery plans vital for Ohio businesses

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), the federal government, other state governments, communities and industries have taken steps to prepare for and respond to a potential pandemic outbreak.

A contingency plan is essential to combat a disease outbreak that could easily spread when there is little or no immunity in the human population. BWC urges employers to develop preparedness plans as they do for other public health emergencies.
In the event of a pandemic, businesses will play a key role in protecting employees' health and safety. Employers also will play a part in limiting the negative impact to themselves, the economy and society in general. Companies that provide critical infrastructure services, such as power and telecommunications, also have a special responsibility to plan for continued operation in a crisis and should plan accordingly.

A number of Federal and State agencies have developed resources to assist businesses in planning for a global disease outbreak and other comparable catastrophes. The links below offer guidelines and check lists for business and industry planning: 

• Flu.gov
• Pandemic Preparedness for Emerging Infectious Diseases (NIOSH)