The Plan for a Two-Story Office Building in Colorado That Houses 50 Employees

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Introduction

Every year, we experience various forms of disasters, where we lose lives, property, and people are injured. In such circumstances, the business operations usually come to a halt, and this causes the cost of running the business to rise. This cost is occasionally passed over to the shareholders, employees, consumers and other organs of the state.

However, all these can be managed, thereby, the injuries can be reduced in the event of a disaster, deaths can be reduced and losses in the business can be managed. With a unique and effective disaster and recovery plan for the building, we can manage various forms of disasters. A good disaster and recovery plan for the building is instrumental in ensuring that we formulate a unique plan that is based on the building, which is located in Colorado and houses 50 employees.

This paper will evaluate various potential risks to the facility from the natural disasters as well as the man-made threats. The paper will also develop a disaster and recovery plan that is unique to this facility. It is critical to ensure that every plan is effectively implemented in order to realize the full benefits of the plan.

For this reason, this paper will give a detailed explanation on how the unique plan will allow the facility to respond to possible events, either natural or man-made. Finally, the paper will describe the actions, which must be taken in order for it to be fully implemented (Gustin, 1996).

Evaluation of the Potential Risks to the Facility from Natural Disasters and man-made Threats

A fundamental understanding of various complexities associated with disasters is instrumental in the preparedness. The continuity of any business is based on the ability to prevent and mitigate any form of a disaster that may arise. The understanding of the various forms of disasters that the building is vulnerable to is critical to the developer of the facility.

This assists in developing a unique plan, which is effective in dealing with forms of disasters that may occur at any particular time. The understanding is also important for the purpose of fast response in the event of an emergency. It is for this purpose that the plan will be developed based on the evaluation of the various forms of disasters that exist. For the purpose of this plan, the disasters will be classified into two broad categories discussed below.

Natural disasters

The natural disasters that are common in this region include hurricanes, winter storms, tornados, floods, earthquakes and fires. It is worth noting that fires may also be occasioned by arson, and this paper has classified it under this category due to the natural causes that may result to fire. Each of these causes is illustrated herein. A hurricane is basically a tropical storm, which is associated with winds that travel at a constant speed of up to 74 miles per hour.

The speed can be higher, depending on the circumstances of the hurricanes. In normal cases, a large spiral is formed by the hurricanes around the calm centre. This can cause a drastic impact because the winds usually grow with strength. An effective disaster plan is critical because the hurricane brings torrential rains with high winds as well as storm surges. The hurricane may even last for several days (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The plan for this ideal building is designed to ensure that once the hurricane watch is issued, a good response is affected by securing the physical property. The plan has an ideal evacuation area, where the entire occupant should assemble. The building has link paths that assist the occupants to collectively assemble without occasioning any form of confusion to the occupants.

The house will be fitted with effective communication materials to ensure that all the occupants of the facility are effectively informed about the disaster in the shortest possible time. The arrangement of the facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants have an easy access to the exit paths (Gustin, 1996).

Tornadoes are natural disasters that are characterized by twisted funnel shaped clouds that create thunderstorms. They are associated with high wind velocity. They last for shorter durations, but they are very destructive on physical properties. With this in mind, the disaster management plan for this particular building is designed to ensure that there are minimal loses to the facility.

Owing to the fact that deaths associated with tornadoes are caused by the collapse of the building, the facility in this case is designed to endure pressure from such tornadoes that may hit the building. The building is designed to have a banker in the basement, which can serve as an interior room where the occupants of the building assemble in the event of tornadoes. This ensures that the occupants are secured from windows, doors and other flying objects that are associated with tornados (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The facility is designed to ensure that all the occupants of the house have access to the interior room. The room is constructed with reinforced a heavy concrete floor and a roof with overhead systems. There are personnel who are assigned to modular offices where the occupants should be moved to.

Winter storms occasion devastating effects, and they may last for several days. The winter storm is usually accompanied by high winds, rains or the sleet, snowfall and extremely cold temperatures. The building is structured to withstand the storms and it has a power backup system that is instrumental in the event that the power lines are knocked off by the storms. The building is also fitted with a heating system because of the low temperatures associated with the storms.

Floods are usually common and widespread and they can be very devastating if they are not well managed. The floods are caused by heavy rains, the melting of the snow, tides and storms among other things. The Building is situated in a high rise landscape besides being fitted with good drainage facilities. In the event of floods, the facility is designed to withstand the floods through the additional drainages that are connected to main tunnels and trenches (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

Fire is hazardous. It is attributed to deaths, injuries and the loss of property. The disaster management plan for this facility is designed to prevent fire through effective training program for the occupiers. The building is well fitted with fire extinguishers, and the occupiers are given periodical training on their use.

The building is designed to have a fire assembly point, where the occupiers can assemble in the event of the fire for the purpose of evacuation. The disaster management structures in the building are designed to ensure that the information is well relayed and understandable by the facility’s occupants. The building is clearly marked with exit signs as well as a definition of the emergency procedures as part of fire prevention strategies (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

Earthquakes are usually sudden shakings of the earth that are caused by the rapid breaking and shifting of the rocks in the earth’s surface. The earthquakes cause buildings to collapse, and this may be followed by a disruption of electricity, gas and others services. However, good pre-planning controls are instrumental in managing the level of disasters.

It is clear that a stable foundation of the building may be helpful in minimizing the level of risks associated with earthquakes. The building is designed to have firm concrete walls, because the greatest dangers during an earthquake are outside the building. The walls are well-constructed to withstand the movements (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

Man-made Disasters

The man-made disasters are mostly associated with technological incidences and human errors. The main forms of man-made disasters that are associated with the building scenario include the hazardous materials accidents, transportation accidents, terror threats, power failures and civil disturbances. Hazardous Materials include flammables, toxics, explosives, noxious, corrosives and radioactive materials among others.

These hazardous materials pose a danger to the property as well as the human beings in the premises. Terrorism is the most heinous modern day crime that targets such facilities. The act causes panic to the occupiers of the building. To avoid this, the facility is well-planned and secured through safe and restricted access systems that are fitted with explosive detectors with manned access points. The facility is also designed to withstand minor explosives.

The security personnel are well trained to secure the facility from threats, and the occupants are well trained on how to conduct themselves in the event of an attack. They are provided with the contact details of local authorities, who include the police, government agencies, fire agencies and the bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms. These groups are mandated to assist in planning and training of the employees (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

Civil disturbances include rioting, picketing and demonstrations, and they pose a security threat to the occupants of the property. The security personnel are trained to handle such cases. The facility is also fitted with secure doors that are instrumental in locking out unauthorized persons. The windows are secure and fitted with blinds and drapes in order to avoid direct confrontation of the occupants with the demonstrators (Gustin, 2004).

Power failure is also a potential source of danger because it interrupts computers, communication equipments, security systems, lighting systems and elevator systems. The building is fitted with stock battery-operated radios and flashlights for combating the power failure. The house is also fitted with an emergency standby power supply system that ensures that the operations of the organization are not interrupted (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The Developed Disaster and Recovery Plan for the Facility

The disaster and recovery plan for the facility is designed to support the growth of the business and it explains the importance of this disaster and recovery plan. The cost of a disaster and recovery project is a priority for the purpose of having good business components. The disaster and recovery plan is essential for the continuity of the business plan. The disaster and recovery plan has been tested and refined for implementation. It is designed to serve as a long-term backup program (Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The periodic tests and consultations have been instrumental in the development process of an effective disaster recovery plan. The audit and defined process are thus said to be a sound investment. It has managed to identify the loopholes by individuals, who have more familiarity with the disaster and recovery plan.

The plan has been developed by a team that has a clear understanding of the facility. This is a critical point for the purpose of addressing the infrastructures that are related. Being a multi-site location, the facility requires a comprehensive disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 1996; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The disaster and recovery plan for the facility has an eye on the equipment that is used for the recovery during the disaster. The facility is coordinated by a disaster recovery coordinator, a team leader and other team members.

The other persons are designated as primary. The main goal of this is to ensure that there are representatives from all the technical areas of the organization, who have the expertise to develop the various recovery’s procedures. This also ensures that these representatives are committed to the overall success of the disaster and recovery plan (Gustin, 2004; Federal Emergency Agency, 2006).

The recovery plan also addresses the building’s functional areas that need a recovery. This is realized through the order of priorities and cost benefit analysis. This is critical in assessing whether the recovery is worth. The disaster and recovery plan has also incorporated the legal requirements as well as the specific business requirements.

The plan has also identified the single points of failure for the purpose of mitigating the risk. This level involves the personnel, software, and other equipments as well as infrastructures. The plan has also incorporated the impact of the failure, the probability of the failure, the estimated incidents, the annualized loss expectancy and the cost of mitigation (Gustin, 1996).

Explanation of How the Plan Would Allow the Facility to Respond to Possible Events

The plan is designed to allow the facility to respond to possible events through the recovery of data. It is noteworthy that the recovery may not be up to the point of the failure, but it clearly identifies the process. It has the ability to call all the data feeds on the system through identification. It also minimizes damage on the data, particularly in the distribution process within the environment where the whole process is dependent. It also identifies the action to be taken upon inconsistence of the data (Gustin, 2004).

The plan also incorporates the audit trail of work that has been performed during the period. Upon the recovery of the data, there is a validation process, which is designed to ensure that the complete recovery is attained with a consistent within the working environment.

The restoration of the operations of the business is also supported by the system through service levels that are defined by the documents. The date is also transferred back to the production machines, which are omitted. In regards to the issue of hardware, the configuration is done through the device names, file systems, operating systems as well as the patch levels (Gustin, 1996).

The safety of the 50 employees is also a priority in the process of disaster and recovery plan. The plan gives a detailed account of the transportation of the employees as well as their families. It is also important to note that each of the employees in this case is assigned a role for the purpose of the disaster and recovery plan. Some of the personnel are assigned the back-up in the event of absenteeism of the other members.

The plan is also reinforced with frequent audits. The building is designed to have multiple line communication as part of the disaster and recovery plan. The building has a conferencing and emergency communication service, which sends automated massages in the event of a disaster to a platform phone number.

Description of the Actions which Must be Taken in Order to Implement the Plan

There is a third party recovery specialist, who ensures that the organization is provided with workspaces in the event of an emergency. The workspaces are well fitted with the necessary equipments for the purpose of the organization’s business. The workspaces are connected to access the organization’s data in the off-site facility (Gustin, 1996).

Upon the personnel rescue and the back-up of data, recovery is the next goal. It is planned based on the back-up of the data in hard disks that are stored in an off-site facility once per week. The data should also be classified depending on the nature of the data at hand. The data recovery plan takes the order of priorities. The security measures of the process include a group of well trained employees within the building, who play a crucial role in the safeguarding of the systems of the company and particularly, the sensitive data (Gustin, 2004).

A secure data recovery plan is set through the development of a proper outline of the action plan. This ensures that the organization resumes its operations quickly, even in the cases of major interruptions. It is critical to establish the activities that are fundamental for the purpose of minimizing the potential losses.

The organization also takes all the necessary measures to anticipate and plan for the disasters by placing a plan and a network that are designed to manage the disaster. Although development of the plan is not a guarantee, the exercising of the disaster and recovery plan ensures that the firm with the trained staff is ready for any form of disaster (Gustin, 1996; USDLOSHA, 2005).

The disaster and recovery testing is important in the development of an effective disaster and recovery strategy. The fact that this recovery plan can fail makes it fall short, but it plays an important role in preparation for possible disasters that may arise. The evaluation of the effectiveness of all the procedures is thus critical in the management of the disaster.

The employees also act as a part of the team that is instrumental in the performance of the disaster and recovery plan, because they determine what works and what does not work by planning for the unexpected. Therefore, the disaster and recovery plan is a flawless teamwork that requires rapid execution.

References

Federal Emergency Agency. (2006). Top Ten Natural Disasters-Ranked. Washington, DC: FEMA Relief Costs Publication.

Gustin, J. (1996). Safety Management: A Guide for Facility Managers. New York, NY: UpWord Publishing.

Gustin, J. (2004). Disaster & Recovery Planning: A Guide for Facility Managers. Atlanta: The Fairmount Press.

USDLOSHA. (2005). OSHA Handbook for Small Business, Small Business Safety and Health Management. OSHA, 2 (4), 23-27.

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