Be prepared for the unexpected

This last week brings bizarre news from a dairy farm at Rasdorf in Germany.

A cow shed housed 90 cows for milking operations when, according to Reuters, a static charge caused methane discharged from the cows to “explode with flashes of flame”. The explosion injured one animal and badly damaged the roof of the building. Damage and disruption to the dairy business ensues, bringing a loss of income for the farmer and I guess that the cows were neither too happy about the surprise.

One can never really know beforehand, exactly what sudden and disruptive event may occur. A probing risk analysis may identify and help mitigate potential damage to business and property. There will always be the one that got away. That single thing than no-one could ever predict. The answer is to plan recovery from generic business operation risks.

People cannot get to work. Equipment or a single process is inoperative. The company’s building is damaged severely or destroyed. A neighbour has a disaster that disrupts the business in some way. There may be a demonstration or civil disruption that affects the business. It is relatively easy to construct a process, which enable a fast and effective response. From my experience whilst planning, more preventive measures are often discovered and implemented. A little effort spent thinking about the risks of interruption to your business and what you can easily do to reduce or remove that risk is a good investment of your time.