Disaster management for salon owners and managers

              With Britain recently hit with severe rain and storms which have caused flooding in many parts of the country, Ryan Fox offers advice on disaster management for salon owners and managers. What is the definition of disaster? Any loss of utility (i.e. power, water, heating), connectivity (i.e. broadband, telephone), severe weather or natural disaster causing damage, vandalism or security threat, fire or flood. Essentially, anything that threatens the continuity of the business. Have a plan Business is risk-based, so it’s important to have a plan ready in case something out of the ordinary happens. This will enable you to continue business as quickly as possible and minimise the risk to people, physical facilities, technology and data, stock and equipment. It’s a good idea to produce a short document that covers what happens in case of disaster in order to protect these as much as possible. Once written, make everyone aware of it and keep in a safe place that everyone knows about. What to include A disaster recovery plan should include:

• A list of emergency contacts and who is responsible for what
• Instructions for when to invoke the plan
• Who needs to be notified and in what situation
• Internal communications procedure to let staff and visitors know
• External communications procedure to let clients and suppliers know
• Data back-up and retrieval procedures
• Procedure for each different situation
  • Natural Disaster
  • Flood or water damage
  • Fire
  • Loss of Utility
  • Network or Systems failure
  • Security breach
  • Alternative options to continue normal business, ie, different premises, mobile, working from home.

Prevention is better than cure Of course, the more you can do to stop things happening in first place the better. Make sure you have strong policies and procedures and take measures to minimise impact. The Habia Health & Safety and Security Manuals are a good place to start, but also ensure you are developing your staff in all aspects of the job - not just hair or beauty - and that you have all your relevant insurances in place. Where to start if you are confronted with a disaster If you are first on the scene you should firstly identify the location and type of disaster you are dealing with. Organise a safe meeting location for all those affected and summarise the damage. Estimate a timeframe when the damage can be properly assessed. Report all this to the salon owner to decide whether to invoke a recovery plan or just to get it sorted straight away. Ryan Fox is a hair and beauty salon consultant who improves salon performance through training and innovation. www.umbrellaconsulting.co.uk