6
FEBRUARY 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
DON’T LET FLOODING WASH
YOUR BUSINESS AWAY
As the flood season lingers on, and with the promise of bad weather on the horizon, we are providing
tips for tradespeople on how to protect their businesses and themselves, in the event of a flood.
The Guardian, at the
end of last year’s flood
season, which gave us
the wettest winter on
record in 250 years,
reported that the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the
average cost to each
business in flood-hit
areas was £1,531, with
UK flooding in 2014
costing small firms a
total of £830m.
The FSB said a third of
small firms in flood-hit
areas suffered from reduced
demand for goods and
services, while transport
disruption affected supplies
and led to staff absences in
many businesses and, especially in relation to installers, lead to installers unable
to visit premises in need of
their services.
As part of its annual Flood
Awareness Campaign, the
Environment Agency (EA)
officials are encouraging
businesses to sign up to
receive flood warnings and
make a ‘flood plan’ so they
are well prepared.
Over 175,000 businesses
are at risk of flooding in
England and Wales. About
50% of managers reported
to the Chartered Management Institute that severe
weather caused disruption
to their organisation in the
wake of last year’s floods,
while nearly two-thirds of
UK businesses said they
suffered supply chain problems because of the extreme
conditions.
As a tradesperson, supply
chain problems can cause
massive problems; letting
customers down, not able to
attend site to complete the
job. Added to this, tradespeople could be at risk as
there is a need to travel to
site, and once there, the
site could be affected by
the flooding, preventing
the trade from doing their
job, and potentially getting
paid.
The EA said more businesses are coming forward
to contribute to local flood
defences that would otherwise not get full government funding.
John Allan, of the FSB,
told The Guardian that
government support has
been welcome and, with
many firms st ill affected,
that support should be kept
under review. He said: “We
also know small businesses
are worried they will find
it increasingly difficult and
expensive to insure their
businesses.
“We want the government
and the insurance industry
to look again at the support
they have in place for small
businesses in flood-hit areas
and see whether there is
more help they can provide
to ensure they have access
to adequate and affordable
insurance.”
‘We want the government and
the insurance industry to look
again at the support they have
in place for small businesses
in flood-hit areas and see
whether there is more help
they can provide to ensure
they have access to adequate
and affordable insurance.’
If you think you or the
business you work for could
be at risk (find out at www.
gov.uk/prepare-for-a-flood/
find-out-if-youre-at-risk),
then there are a number of
precautionary preparations
you should adopt.
1. Sign up for flood warnings - https://www.gov.uk/
sign-up-for-flood-warnings
2. Make a flood plan - According to www.gov.uk, you
should make a written plan
of how you’ll respond to a
flood if you run a business,
or are self-employed, in an
area at risk of flooding.
3. Improve your property’s flood protection - Ask
a building surveyor, architect or other independent
professional for advice on
permanent flood protection measures.
4. Get insurance - Contact
the National Flood Forum
(www.nationalfloodforum.
org.uk) for advice on
how to get insurance and
reduce your premium or
excess.
Government Floodline:
0345 988 1188
Has your business or work been
affected by the devastating
consequences of flooding?
Let us know, send us your stories and/
or photos and you could feature in
our next issue. Email madelaine@
clearview-uk.com, write to us at,
Clearview Group Limited, Unit 2-3,
Burleigh Court, Burleigh Street,
Barnsley or tweet us @ProInstaller1