Risk Management Services

1. HEALTH & SAFETY

Any business with 5 or more employees, including the Principal(s) or Director(s) is required by law to have in place a written Health & Safety Policy, which must be available for inspection, if required, by the relevant Authority.

Guidance can be obtained from the Health & Safety Executive, but there are specialist Personnel, Employment Law and Health & Safety Consultancies who, for a fee, will help set up the H & S procedures and also advise on Employment Law and will assist in writing Employment Contracts too.

One such Company is called Peninsula and another is the UK's largest insurer who also offers a similar service via Norwich Union Risk Services (NURS)


Note - Norwich Union Risk Services also produces a wide range of hard copy articles known as HARD FACTS, on a broad range of topics associated with Management of Risk, Fire, Security, Computer Protection, Safety, Occupational Health, Environmental Protection, Business Continuity Planning and much more. To obtain hard copies of these articles please contact us.

2. PREMISES SECURITY & FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

Depending on the size and nature of a business, insurers may wish to carry out a routine survey to assess the level of security, the fire risk and any Health & Safety implications.
The following is a guideline of what may be required, although an insurer may NOT survey if the risk is deemed to be low, and the security etc is already adequate.
a) SECURITY
According to the level of theft attractive equipment, then insurers usually insist upon a minimum level of physical security, as follows:-

  • Good quality 5 lever mortise deadlocks on all final exit doors
  • Key-operated window locks on all opening sections of external ground floor windows, and all other windows, which are accessible from roofs, fire escapes or downpipes.


If they consider the theft risk to be particularly high, then they will usually also insist upon an INTRUDER ALARM which must be installed and maintained by a NACOSS (National Approval Council for Security Systems) registered Alarm Company - the insurers will confirm the type and specification of alarm.
Some insurers have a discount arrangement with certain Security & Alarm Companies, offering reduced prices on locksmiths, safes and security systems/alarms
b) FIRE PRECAUTIONS

The Health & Safety Act states that Employers have a duty to take precautions against fire, provide adequate means of escape and means for fighting fire

A certain number and type of fire extinguishers are required, depending on the size of your premises.
Your local Fire Officer/Fire Brigade can provide advice on this subject, as will the insurance surveyor at the time of his visit

As with the Security requirements, some insurers have discounted schemes available for supplying Fire Fighting Equipment, such as fire extinguishers

3. DISASTER RECOVERY & BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

It is a sad fact that approximately 80% of UK businesses that suffer a major fire or loss never recover despite insurance.

How would your business cope in the aftermath of a disaster?

It is therefore essential to consider what to do to help prevent this and also to have a plan of action in the event of a claim to help keep disruption to a minimum.

This will be governed by how reliant you are on your premises and other factors to continue trading.

Some businesses, usually Offices, may be able to continue by just temporarily relocating, and can be up and running with a telephone and computers

However, if you are a factory reliant upon your premises and specialist machinery etc, then it may be several weeks or months before you are fully operational again

Perhaps your Building is listed, which would mean repair/rebuild is likely to take longer than a modern construction building, as specialist materials and labour has to be sourced 
 
        For our part we shall help ensure that your insurance cover is arranged properly and recommend that you include Business Interruption insurance. 

       This is to cover Loss of Revenue/Gross Profit and/or Increased Costs of Working/Additional Expenses, and the right Indemnity Period needs to be selected i.e. the maximum length of time you consider it would take to return to the same level of full trading. The way this cover is structured will depend upon the exact nature of your business (some Insurance Packages, such as Office, Shop, Restaurant automatically include Business Interruption cover)

      In addition, we will co-ordinate the claim with the insurers to ensure speedy response and fast action.

Refer to the following BUSINESS INTERRUPTION CHECKLIST to help you:

  • At worst, how long will it take you to rebuild and re-establish market share?
  • Will you wish to pay all or certain salaries regardless of the period of interruption?
  • Can the work be transferred to an alternative site or subcontracted?
  • Is there back-up for all communication systems and IT?
  • Draw up a Disaster Recovery Plan and test regularly
  • Install 2 phone lines in a Director's/Principal's home for emergencies
  • Keep a record of telephone numbers of staff, insurer, clients and suppliers off-site
  • Lodge important documents with your bank
  • Insure key personnel (Death/Critical Illness/Permanent Health Insurance/Personal Accident and Sickness)
  • Work closely with your Insurance Advisers


To further assist you, there are specialist Consultancies who, for a fee, provide help and advice, working in conjunction with your insurance arrangements, to ensure that your business has the greatest possible chance of survival should a disaster strike

These services tend to be more relevant to the larger companies with more complex requirements, but are available to any business no matter how large or small.

One such Consultancy is Ark & General, the UK's largest and longest-standing privately-owned Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Management company.

They are BSI accredited to FS29589 standard, and offer their services internationally and have achieved "preferred supplier" status with many companies.

Ark & General offers a range of services, including SOFTWARE PRODUCTS, TRAINING, CONSULTANCY & CRISIS COVER (a package of measures to which you can subscribe) 

To visit Ark & General's website click on www.arkgen.co.uk