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If you don't say hello to the prospect of a second wave of lockdown, you might be saying goodbye to your business says one business continuity expert.

With towns and cities facing the prospect of a second, localised lockdown, companies must overcome ‘fresh challenges’ in business continuity says health and safety expert Bureau Veritas.

It comes as large swathes of northern England including Preston, Greater Manchester and Bradford were put under new restrictions by the government in July and August to try to curb the spread of coronavirus.

Update procedures

As such, Bureau Veritas is advising firms across the UK to adequately prepare for the possibility of a local lockdown by stringently monitoring and updating their business continuity and disaster planning procedures.

 “While it's great news that most British businesses are back up and running following a prolonged period of lockdown, the reality is we are far from out of the woods on this pandemic.”

– Basilio Vieira 

Lead Auditor, Bureau Veritas Certification

Be prepared

“As seen in recent weeks, business continuity has never been more important as firms still need to be prepared for the ongoing possibility that they might have to close again at a moment’s notice or alter their operations drastically for an indeterminate period of time," continues Bureau Veritas' Vieira. “The ‘new normal’ is that coronavirus remains a risk to employees health and requires many employers to proceed with extreme caution.

"Essentially, guidelines, restrictions and best practices will continue to evolve daily for the foreseeable future and as with the threat of a local lockdown, this presents fresh challenges in terms of business continuity and disaster planning. Our advice, first and foremost to businesses, is to have regular communication with the health agency in your local area to glean the risk of a potential local lockdown to enable better planning and safety precautions.”

Nimble approach

According to Bureau Veritas, other key areas to consider for business continuity procedures include taking a cautious approach to making long term commitments, as well as anticipating a more nuanced disruption to supply chains. Vieira adds: “Whether it’s re-stocking perishable items or signing new vendor supply contracts, we’ve seen that taking a more short term and nimble approach is key to business continuity. What’s more, if your firm is operating in an area with low coronavirus cases, it’s important to factor in the impact that international, national, regional and local lockdowns may have on your supply chains and carry out a full impact analysis.

“In light of this, it’s clear that business continuity remains a top priority as we continue to navigate these uncertain times. Indeed, following best practice in this area will not only ensure firms are adequately prepared to deal with worse-case scenarios and protect the future of their business but ultimately, could help to save lives.”

Picture: With towns and cities facing the prospect of a second, localised lockdown, companies must overcome ‘fresh challenges’ in business continuity says health and safety expert Bureau Veritas.

www.bureauveritas.co.uk

Article written by Cathryn Ellis
19th August 2020

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