Multi-hazard business continuity management guide

Guide for small and medium enterprises:

This document is intended to contribute to increase constituents’ resilience, mitigate risks and enhance preparedness for crisis and business recovery. The scope covers different types of major-scale, natural hazards, i.e. geophysical, hydrological, meteorological, climate and biological, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, tropical storms, over-floods, flash flows, mud flows, droughts, desertification and landslides. It aims to inform and guide decision makers and technical service providers on how to manage business continuity vis-à-vis the multiple hazards that may threat the production and delivery of services and goods.

The Guide is structured in five chapters. The first chapter provides the basic concepts and terminology that will be used across the guide. The second chapter focuses on the assessments including a business impact analysis to identify critical business activities; an assessment of the critical inputs, assets and operations; and, finally, a risk assessment of these critical components. The third chapter concerns the core of the planning efforts. In others words: what needs to be done, by whom, by when, with which resources, and for what final purpose. Chapter 4 is about communication and training on the BCP to ensure that the firm has the capabilities to implement the plan successfully. Finally, chapter 5 provides guidance on the last step of the BCM process, i.e. the collection of lessons learnt following the implementation of the plan and its consequent adaptation to remove shortcomings and address gaps.