Following extensive flooding across parts of Scotland and northern England, Marsh, the world’s leading insurance broker and risk adviser, outlines the immediate business recovery and health and safety actions businesses affected should take to recover from the emergency.
Immediate business actions
- Inspect fuel tanks for water contamination, if appropriate.
- Deploy pumps to remove contaminated water from water storage tanks. Until this water is replaced and clean water flushed through, public health requirements prevent people from returning to the building and using the facilities.
- Check the drains and sewerage system as they well may have become blocked and ‘backed up’.
- Check all electrical systems thoroughly; some rewiring may be necessary. If power has been switched off or disrupted then systems may need to be checked and reconfigured.
- Consider employing specialised restoration businesses to recover damaged technology, documents, and other material.
- Employ contract cleaners to renovate properties.
- Secure empty buildings until reoccupation is possible.
Recovery actions
The viability of businesses going forward will depend on the speed with which they can recover. Hence, it is important to:
- Contact insurers with details, and photographs, of all damage.
- Focus on maintaining critical activities.
- Inform clients/customers/suppliers of the situation and their recovery plans.
- Plan for stock replacement and vehicle/fleet servicing, if damaged by flood-water.
- Help staff with their personal circumstances.
- Enable and encourage staff to work remotely where possible to limit disruption to businesses caused by travel difficulties.
Health and safety actions
To safeguard staff and assets, Marsh recommends the following general health and safety advice:
Cleaning up
- Do not re-enter premises until all floodwater has been removed. The Fire and Rescue Service may help with pumping water out of premises.
- Avoid the use of electrical circuits or equipment exposed to flood water until checked by a qualified electrician and do not enter confined spaces e.g. cellars where there is known oil/petrol or similar contamination.
- Wear waterproof boots and gloves to clean all hard surfaces such as flooring, concrete, mouldings, wood and metal furniture, countertops, appliances, sinks and other plumbing fixtures and wash hands thoroughly after handling anything that may be contaminated.
- Ventilate premises after flooding – less damp is less damage.
- Remove all furnishings and fittings that are damaged beyond repair.
- Launder all clothing in a hot wash to destroy most bacteria present. Clothing which cannot be machine washed should be dry cleaned or disposed of. Clothes worn during the clean up should be washed as above separately from uncontaminated clothes and linens.
- Air dry in the sun any items, such as upholstered furniture, which cannot be washed or dry cleaned. They should then be sprayed thoroughly with a disinfectant. All carpeting should be steam cleaned where possible.
- Allow the premises and remaining contents to thoroughly dry to help to destroy bacteria left behind. Heating and good ventilation will help the drying process.
- All food contact surfaces, equipment, utensils, work tables etc. must be thoroughly sanitised before reusing. Any heavily contaminated items should be thrown away.
- All food that may have been contaminated must be destroyed. Initially this must be double bagged and placed in a sealed container to prevent attracting pests.
Damaged goods
Do not dispose of any damaged goods until insurers have had a chance to inspect them. It may help to take photographic or video footage evidence.
