Business disasters can strike at any time, often with little or no warning. Yet, according to a recent study by a national non-profit organization,* more than half of small businesses have no disaster recovery plan, and of those that do, the vast majority spend very little time making sure that their information is updated and understood by all who need to implement it. Not having a plan, and not exercising the plan, is almost like making the same mistake twice — and the result can be devastating to your business. Creating, updating, and testing your plan are all critical to responding successfully to a natural disaster or other business disruption.

To get you started, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has created OFB-EZ™ (Open for Business-EZ), a free, downloadable business continuity planning toolkit, to help you recover, re-open quickly, and reduce losses. OFB-EZ gives business owners tools to better understand the risks they face; keep in touch with key suppliers, vendors and employees; make sure their information technology systems continue to function; and improve their ability to make quick, informed decisions after a disaster. Creating a plan is only the first step in disaster preparedness. The focus of this article is on making sure that the plan you create is up-to-date and actionable when you need it most.

Business continuity plan — a living document

Business continuity planning is an evolving exercise that should be regularly reviewed and updated because your business is constantly changing. You may have new products and services; upgrades to technology; people coming, going, and changing their responsibilities; and new priorities. All of these affect your business and therefore your business continuity plan. Preferably, your plan should be updated as soon as changes in your business occur. That way, the work won’t pile up and you won’t forget something important.

At a minimum, your plan should be reviewed and updated at least once a year — but every six months is ideal. Once the plan is updated, be sure to redistribute it and make your employees aware of the changes, as this will help when they need to put the plan into action during an emergency when reflexive action may be needed.

Questions to consider: deciding how and what to update

Time and resource constraints make maintaining and updating your plan challenging. To simplify the process, the following is a list of questions to consider when reviewing your plan.

Operations

• Have my business’ risks or hazards changed?
• Has my business added any new office, sales, or operational locations that need to be included in the plan?
• Has my business added new departments, products, or services?
• Have there been any process changes that need to be included?
• Have the priority levels of my documented business functions changed?
• Has my business added or changed any suppliers/vendors, key contacts or key customers?
• Is the contact information up-to-date for existing suppliers/vendors, key contacts and key customers?
• Have I updated the current software needed to resume each business function?
• Have I updated information on specialized equipment needed to resume each business function?

People

• Have there been any staffing changes?
• Does my company telephone call list need to be updated to reflect new staff personal/emergency contact information?
• Are the right responsibilities assigned to the right staff?

Plan details

• Are the documents attached to my plan up-to-date?
• Should additional documents be included with my plan?
• Has a review of vital records been completed?
• Does the updated plan reflect lessons learned from any disruptions experienced since the last update?

Risk management

• Can I put in place any new protection devices, safeguards or procedures to reduce my business’ risks and hazards?
• Are work-around or secondary methods written and documented in a manner that my employees can understand and act on them?
• Have I reviewed my insurance coverage with my agent?

Putting the newly updated plan into action

As soon as you have updated your plan, make sure it gets to the right people, and that they know their responsibilities. Here are some action items:

• Has the updated plan been reviewed and approved by the business owner and/or senior operations managers?
• Provide copies of the updated plan to all employees who need it. If there are some things in the plan that not every employee should see, put those items in an appendix and distribute only to those who need to know.
• Save the updated plan in multiple secure digital locations. Make sure key employees know where the plan is located.
• Print and store paper copies of the updated plan in multiple secure locations. Make sure key employees know where they are located.
• Dispose of all outdated copies of the plan.

Testing and exercising — how often is often enough?

Can you imagine a group of actors performing a play with no previous script review or rehearsal? Yet, in the event of a business disruption, most businesses expect their employees to perform under pressure without ever practicing their roles or testing the overall plan. Without testing, you will never know if your plan will work when you need it most, and without exercising your staff, you will never know if they understand their roles and responsibilities and are able to perform them. In addition, testing various scenarios will teach staff what to do if some resources are unavailable.

Periodic testing also will enable you to find the gaps that need to be addressed. Without testing, those gaps will stay hidden until it’s too late. Once identified, make sure your plan gets updated to account for those gaps and weaknesses. Then, practice again as soon as practical to make sure that the solutions really work. Testing is the only way to translate the elements of your plan into effective action.

When determining how often and how extensively you should test, consider that most business continuity experts advise businesses to test as often as possible, and at a minimum, on an annual basis. To keep your employees and business resilient, set up a testing schedule and share it with your staff to ensure full participation.

Methods to test your business continuity plan

Most businesses use one of the following methods to test their business continuity plan. Regardless of which method you select, it is important to understand that the testing is not a fault-finding mission; there should not be a passing or failing grade. The objective is to learn and to ensure your plan is fit for any type of disruption.

• Walk-through exercise: This type of exercise will ensure that your employees, at a minimum, are familiar with the plan. In a conference room setting, you should review and discuss all parts of the plan so that everyone understands the content and their responsibilities. The group should consider whether or not the actions outlined in the plan are feasible, and whether they would work in principle.
• Tabletop exercise: In a conference room setting, using a specific emergency scenario, your employees should work through the plan, discuss their step-by-step responsibilities and how they would react to the particular situation. The scenario should include several unexpected interjections during the exercise. This type of exercise can identify documentation errors, missing information and inconsistencies. The emphasis should be to validate the contents of the plan rather than the development of the plan.
• Full-scale/live exercise: This type of exercise involves all employees, actually rehearsing the actions contained in the plan. It is designed around a realistic scenario; participants should respond as though the scenario were real, deploying the resources that would normally be used.

Questions to consider: exercise preparation

The following are some important questions to consider when preparing for your next exercise, drill or test. Prior to any exercise or test, be sure your plan has been reviewed and updated, and is ready to use.

• What parts of your plan will be tested?
• What is the scope and objectives of the test?
• Which business processes am I testing?
  • Am I testing the ability of my employees to function remotely?
  • Am I testing my business’ technology and connectivity?
  • Are there new or changed processes or systems that need to be tested?
  • Am I testing my notification procedures including my company telephone call list flow and response times?
• What type of test will this be — walk-through, tabletop or full-scale?
• Who needs to be involved in this test?
• Have I selected an observer (for comments and feedback) and scribe (to take notes)?

After the test, drill or exercise, you should document what worked well, what areas needed improvement, and any action items. Based on these findings, your plan should be modified to include the recommended improvements.

Sample tabletop exercise from OFB-EZ

Disaster exercises provide opportunities for you to test company disaster readiness; train employees through practice; improve employees’ ability to make informed decisions when responding to an emergency; identify what needs to be done during and after a disaster; and examine a specific scenario or situation more closely.

OFB-EZ includes an exercise dealing with a common business disruption — an extended power outage. The scenario is available in the OFB-EZ toolkit at www.DisasterSafety.org. After accessing the scenario, gather your team, key employees and anyone else who would benefit from the exercise, and begin the discussion with the questions provided. This can be done informally, such as during lunch or as part of a staff meeting. The “final exam” for any business continuity plan is whether it works when needed during an actual disruption. What seems like a great amount of work to update, test, and improve your plan now may be what saves your business following a disaster. And, in the meantime, your business will be stronger and your employees better prepared for the unexpected.

*Small Business Majority and the American Sustainable Business Council, Climate Change Preparedness and the Small Business Sector

Copyright © IBHS 2014 The Institute for Business & Home Safety’s mission is to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices. www.disastersafety.org

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC APR 2019 14-50
171-1024 (2/14)

Security is not driven by a single system, product or process. Good security requires a holistic approach that encompasses more than locks and alarms. At The Hanover, we feel that security is best accomplished by approaching the issue from a three ring perspective. There are three distinct rings of protection that surround your business and you must address each ring to be effective. Let’s review the three rings and how to secure each.

The outer ring

This is your perimeter protection. In a free standing facility, the perimeter may be at your property line. In a retail environment the ring may start at the outside wall. In a mall or shopping center that perimeter should extend to the outside of the building. How secure is the mall in which you occupy space? Does the mall provide a reasonable level of security to prevent after-hours access? Does the mall provide security officers or watchmen after hours to patrol the space and check your store? In a town center environment, is there a patrol presence after hours? What can you do to improve the security of the outer ring?

Consider installing CCTV cameras that monitor the outside of your premises. A thief must approach your location and the installation of outside CCTV cameras sends a message that you take security seriously. It also gives you the chance to identify suspicious behaviors from the safety of your store. Outside CCTV allows you to identify who is knocking at the door. Is it the delivery man you expect or someone else?

Was the “false alarm” last night really false? With exterior CCTV coverage, you can see if a thief is intentionally tripping your alarm so you get tired of responding. This has become a very popular approach with thieves. They create a number of “false” alarms so the police and owner decide to disregard the alarms and then they enter and have plenty of time to gather your merchandise. Engaging a security service that checks the outside of your store on a random basis is a cost effective control. This means that someone will check the exterior security of your space periodically. A random schedule is important because it is not a predictable pattern that can be compromised.

Install alarm devices that protect the perimeter openings and areas such as skylights and interior walls. Your store may have a high security alarm but if your neighbor does not, a thief can use their space to launch an attack on your space.

The middle ring

This is your actual space. Are there good locks on the doors? Do you use burglary-resistant glazing or laminated glass in all windows and doors? Does CCTV cover all entry points so you get good facial video of persons entering your space? Do you have adequate interior motion detection to prevent a thief from hiding in your store after hours? Do you have hold up alarms in a number of places?

The middle ring also encompasses controls over the human element. Do you have a screening practice before hiring to weed out the unqualified or persons with criminal history? Are background investigations repeated at specific intervals?

Do you take AIM (Acknowledge the customer, Individualize the sales experience, Manage the inventory) at security and sales? Having sales and security as a combined approach will yield great benefits. Is this a topic of routine training and reinforcement for your staff? Have you involved your local police agency in a store survey to get their perspective on your protection? Getting to know the crime prevention officers can give access and insight into local crime trends and activity.

Are you connected to the local retail and trade associations for sharing crime data and incident notices?

The alarm system that protects your space should be monitored by a UL listed central station monitoring service. The alarm system should have line security to detect tampering with the signal transmission path. Does your alarm notify management as well as the local police? Have you tested the alarm system? Is it on a service agreement so any faults are immediately corrected?

Do you have sound opening and closing procedures? Do you have a code word procedure to alert staff to trouble or suspicious activity?

The inner ring

Do you limit the amount of merchandise left out of the safe at night? Are high value goods distributed across the store? Have you considered burglary resistant or laminated glass for your showcases?

What is the rating on your safe? Will the police respond within the time limit that UL has listed your safe to resist attack? Does your alarm system protect the safe? Is the safe visible on your CCTV system? Can you stream the vault image from the store to view at home?

How is the video quality on your CCTV system? Can you see enough detail to make identification? Most agencies do not have image recognition software. If all of your video looks blurred and non-descript, the value is diminished.

Is store lighting adequate for good video after hours? Are exterior windows unobstructed to allow sight into the store?

Consider both overt and covert CCTV camera placements. Covert cameras at entry points can capture good facial images of people entering your store. This can be very valuable in identifying a thief after an event.

Protect your recording equipment by securing in a locked cabinet or closet. Consider off premises storage of digital images.

Digital recording may give better quality unless you routinely clean, service and replace videotapes.

Do you manage key control for both exterior doors and showcases? Lost or missing keys may have been stolen and not simply “lost”.

As you evaluate the three rings, you will note that they depend on each other for stability and support. A weak outer ring would have to be supported by strengthening the two inner rings. Similar actions should be considered if you sense that any weaknesses exist.

By approaching the problem from a three ring perspective, you can make your facility more burglary and theft resistant than others. Generally, you don’t have to make your location “burglar proof” but simply demonstrate that it is better secured than another target.

If you are planning to install a new alarm, change service providers or make changes to your existing service and have questions, call your Hanover agent or Hanover Loss Control for advice that is specific to your situation.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 11-217a
171-0947 (02/14)

Many people mistakenly believe that sales skills and security awareness are two separate concerns. If you take AIM at sales you can combine the two processes into a single behavior.

A

Acknowledge the customer when they arrive in your store. Promptly greeting the customer and asking about their needs will let legitimate customers know you are interested in their business.

I

Individualize the sales experience. This means focusing on one customer at a time and showing that customer one item at a time. By limiting the amount of goods out of the case at one time, you reduce the values exposed to a snatch-and-grab robbery. By focusing on an individual customer you prevent sneak thefts and make a potential thief casing your store uncomfortable. If additional customers enter the store, alert your associates to the new arrivals and they can engage them.

M

Manage the inventory by keeping goods under lock and key. Manage the sale process by identifying specific items or lines that appeal to the customer and showing them these goods. Keep the showcases locked and keep the goods under your control.

You can also move the sale to a more private area if the customer will need to see multiple pieces. This makes the potential thief more uncomfortable and allows you to make the interaction with the customer more focused.

Security and sales are not separate concerns. You can make your staff aware of the needs of both by taking AIM at security.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 11-217g
171-0879 (01/14)

Protecting your clients’ documents may require storage in a media safe or vault. There are guidelines that apply to these types of storage enclosures. You should understand the differences between a media vault and a media safe. You can then select the option that best suits your operations and customer needs.

Media vault

NFPA 232, Standard for the Protection of Records, describes a media vault as an enclosure that is equipped, maintained and supervised to minimize the possibility of a fire starting in the vault and the enclosure has a fire resistance rating of four to six hours for fires that would expose the vault. A media vault is specifically designed and has walls, floors and ceiling of fire resistant construction. The minimum fire resistance rating is four hours. The enclosure will be properly sealed and all penetrations closed in a fashion to maintain the fire resistance rating. Entry doors will have a fire resistance rating that matches the rating of the enclosure. Heating systems, electrical system and other utilities are designed to limit ignition sources and loss potential. The vault will be provided with fire suppression systems and fire detection systems.

Media safe

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) standardized the testing procedure for record protection equipment and has established a labeling service that identifies the degree of protection a device affords. UL 72, Standard for Tests for the Fire Resistance of Record Protection Equipment, provides the UL testing and listing requirements for record protection equipment. You should verify that the media safe you are using meets the appropriate UL listing by examining the UL label that is attached to the door of the safe. You can also research a given product on UL’s online certification website, UL Online Certifications Directory.

A media safe is a UL-listed enclosure that is designed to prevent damage to paper records or electronic media from fire. These cabinets or safes are listed based on the maximum temperature rise that can occur inside the enclosure. The testing process follows a specific time temperature curve. There are three different classes of record protection safes. Record protection equipment is intended to provide protection to one or more types of records, according to an assigned Class rating:

• Class 350 for paper
• Class 150 for magnetic computer tapes and photographic film
• Class 125 for flexible disks.

You must match the class of the media safe to the intended materials to be protected. A Class 350 safe would not protect electronic media, as the allowed temperature rise is too great.

Although the term “safe” is commonly used for these enclosures and they often have combination locks, the standard for media safes does not include testing for burglary resistance. There are tests for impact and drop testing, but this is not the same process used for burglary resistant safes.

Understanding the requirements for vaults and safes as they relate to document storage is a key to your providing the appropriate environment for protection of vital records.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

JAN 2019 12-61
171-0977 (01/14)

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) have become an important tool for protecting goods in transit. The ability to remotely monitor the transit, progress, route and location of the goods provides valuable data and peace of mind to the carrier and the shipper. Using a GPS cargo security device poses a number of basic questions about the type of system you will need. This bulletin will help you make sense of the options available to you.

Do you monitor the vehicle or the cargo?

Many GPS systems are based on monitoring the vehicle, tractor or the trailer. If your interest is the goods inside the trailer, then you should consider monitoring the goods themselves. Locating an abandoned trailer or truck does not help you recover your goods.

Is the monitoring an overt or covert undertaking?

Obvious placement of antennae and GPS equipment can send a deterrent message to cargo thieves. The use of external devices tells the potential cargo thief that this shipment is subject to GPS locating equipment. It is also possible for the thieves to disable external antennae and defeat the service. In many cases you will need to balance the deterrent factor of overt equipment with the reality that it can be defeated. Covert equipment hidden in the load will allow you to track the movement of the cargo, not the conveyance.

How will the shipment be tracked or monitored?

Cargo theft is a fast moving business. The trailer is moved to a second location quickly.

The trailer is then emptied or changed to disguise it from detection. If you depend on the driver reporting the theft, and the notice working its way through a chain of command, then you may find that the GPS system located your empty vehicle. Shipments that can be dynamically tracked or located can lead to recovery and apprehensions. Online access to tracking data at your location via the Internet allows you to respond quickly.

What type of GPS system is used?

The type of GPS system is also important. Cell tower assisted GPS systems offer wider coverage and greater ability to locate vehicles inside buildings or under cover. Understanding the battery life and signal strength of the GPS devices is also a consideration.

Please contact your Hanover Risk Solutions consultant for further assistance with cargo security. Your local GPS vendor or one of our Risk Solutions partners, available through our website, www.hanoverrisksolutions.com, can help you select a GPS system to suit your application.
 

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC APR 2019 09-230 H
171-0900 (1/14)

Your water supply is an essential service for your business and building, and a vulnerable point when it comes to protecting your business from damage. Leakage from broken pipes, frozen pipes, or failed distribution systems can cause crippling damage to products and property, slow or halt business, and create unexpected costs.

Even a small water leak that goes undetected for a long period of time can result in a large loss, often requiring replacement of floors, ceilings and walls, along with furniture, fixtures and stock.  Water losses can result in property damage severe enough to close a building until repairs are made, or damage sensitive equipment or stock that can slow or shut down a business.

Frequent causes of water damage and severe water incidents can include:

• Water supply lines (fire sprinkler or domestic) freezing and bursting during cold weather
• Damaged roofs allowing water penetration
• Blocked roof drains or overflowing gutters
• Failing to act immediately; waiting to shut off water valves until maintenance or local responders get to the site
• Neglect of proper drainage of dry pipe sprinkler systems condensate prior to and during cold weather
• Incorrect installation of dry pipe systems which allowed for water to accumulate in low points without drainage
• Not having proper attic installation allowing pipes to freeze

A water damage prevention and mitigation plan should be created and put in place that prevents, controls, and mitigates water damage loss. Creating a plan helps evaluate the risk of a water damage event and outlines steps to be taken before, during and after the event. Staff should only undertake the steps outlined when it is safe to do so.

Pre-planning

• Conduct inspections of the building’s water/liquid systems to identify potential damage or wear and tear; this includes plumbing and HVAC systems, automatic sprinkler systems, roofs, and roof mounted equipment, drains and downspouts, etc.
  • Analyze any signs of water leaks, including stains and pooling and repair even small leaks promptly.
• Develop a map of all water/liquid systems and label all water shut off control valves so that they can easily be located during an emergency.
  • Identify and train staff on each shift with the authority to shut off water valves during an incident.
  • Exercise and lubricate shut-off valves at least annually to ensure they can be easily closed during a water event.
• Implement a preventive maintenance program designed to target vulnerable exposures.
• Review the plan annually and provide training to employees as new hires, when updates/changes are made, and as annual refreshers.
• Designate key personnel and administration responsibilities in the event of an on-site water damaging occurrence.
• Create and maintain an updated list of emergency contacts.
• Establish a contingency plan in the event of severely damaged areas requiring equipment and/or functions to be relocated for operation and specify how to continue operations.

Mitigation

In the event of a water damage occurrence, if safe to do so, dispatch designated personnel to respond to the area to begin mitigating the damage. Leaks involving domestic water lines, piping, or valves, need to be closed off by locating the shutoff valve to isolate and minimize the damage. Building structure leaks, such as leaky roof drains, windows, etc., require steps to be taken to divert the water, contain the spillage and prevent additional water from entering the building. Compromised structures may require temporary repairs to minimize water damage until proper clean up and restoration can take place. If the damage cannot be mitigated internally, contact the local fire department for assistance.

Recovery

The following cleanup actions should be taken immediately for the best results and restoration of operations:

• Reference the company’s emergency contact list of contractors, vendors, or local responders for cleanup and restoration of the site as needed.
• Inspect the area and identify any damage to the building and equipment that will require replacement such as electrical, HVAC, plumbing, etc.
• If safe to do so, begin water removal using pumps, wet vacuums, squeegees, or whatever equipment is appropriate for the leak.
• Utilize dehumidification equipment or fans to reduce the growth of mold.

Improvements

• Conduct an inspection/assessment to identify root causes of the event for future improvement of response and preparation and update the plan as needed.

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC 2022-176 (5/2022)
 

Inspecting the roof of your building annually can help prevent a host of problems, from damaged roofing material to leakage. Regular inspections can serve as a baseline for your records and uncover problems with your roof before they make you vulnerable to leaking or damage — and before they begin to impact your business. Inspecting your roof after a weather event can be even more crucial.

Hanover Risk Solutions can provide a comprehensive self-checklist that serves as a record of materials and conditions and can help uncover damage when it occurs.

Download a PDF checklist to help keep your rooftop condition from becoming a rooftop problem.

Type of roofing system (Check all that apply)

Rooftop HVAC and exhaust system components (Check all that apply)

Roof types

Built-up

A continuous, semi-flexible, multi-ply roof membrane, consisting of plies (layers) of saturated felts, coated felts, fabrics or mats, between which alternate layers of bitumen are applied. Generally, built-up roof membranes are surfaced with mineral aggregate and bitumen, a liquid-applied coating or a granule-surfaced cap sheet.

Modified bitumen

A bitumen modified through the inclusion of one or more polymers (e.g. atactic polypropylene, styrene butadiene styrene, etc.). Composite sheets consisting of polymer modified bitumen often reinforced and sometimes surfaced with various types of mats, films, foils and mineral granules.

Metal

Metal roofing panels come in two types: structural and architectural. Structural panels are designed not to have a continuous substrate and can span between purlins unsupported. Architectural panels need a continuous substrate and cannot span between purlins.

Thermoplastic

Materials that soften when heated and harden when cooled (e.g., PVC Single-ply Membrane).

Thermoset

A material that solidifies or sets irreversibly when heated (e.g., EPDM Single-ply Membrane).

Roof diagram requirements

A roof diagram must include the following items:

• Date drawing/diagram completed.
• Location of all HVAC (heating ventilating and air conditioning system air handling units).
• Location of exhaust stacks (including type and height of stack).
• Location of roof drains.

Standing water

Standing water means water remaining on the roof surface for longer than a 48-hour period. Evidence of standing water might be persistent water or rust-type stains on the decking or the accumulation of debris on areas of the roof surface.

Copyright ©2020

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you, The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 LC 12-66
171-0931 (01/14)

Why is it important to maintain your sprinkler system?

Your facility is equipped with an automatic fire protection system that protects both the occupants and your business. It is important that the fire protection systems are maintained to be sure it will operate when there is a fire. To help ensure the systems are working, there needs to be periodic inspection and testing of the system and associated components. You want to avoid finding out about a malfunction during an emergency event.

What needs to be done and how often

NFPA 25, standard for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems describes the frequency of testing for each system component. These are summarized for you below and are categorized as follows:

• Wet pipe sprinkler systems
• Dry pipe sprinkler systems
• Common components to all

Who should perform the testing and inspection?

NFPA 25, standard for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems states that the inspection, testing, and maintenance should be performed by a person who has developed competence through training and experience. Most companies use a qualified outside contractor for all inspection and testing or use a combination of in-house personnel and an outside contractor for completion of the work. Some states have requirements that the person conducting the annual fire pump test be certified.

How can Hanover Risk Solutions help?

Your Hanover Risk Solutions consultant can meet with you to explain the inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements based on the fire protection systems installed at your facility. They can discuss the options with you for helping to ensure that your systems are adequately maintained.

Wet pipe sprinkler systems inspection testing and maintenance

• Water flow alarms
  • Test vane type and pressure switch type water flow devices semiannually
  • Water motor gongs tested quarterly
• 2" Drain test
  • Annually and after any system shut down
• System gauges
  • Test for accuracy every five years (or replace)
• Alarm check valves
  • Interior inspection and cleaning every five years
• Control valves
  • Test tamper switches semiannually
  • Operate and lubricate valve through full range of operation annually
• Sprinkler heads
  • Standard sprinklers to be tested at 50 years and every 10 years thereafter
  • Quick response sprinklers tested after 20 years and at 10 year intervals thereafter or replaced
  • Sprinkler manufactured prior to 1920 are to be replaced
• Obstruction investigation
  • Flushing and removal of end sprinkler from a branch line — five years
• Annual total system inspection
  • Building conditions, pipe and fitting condition, hangers and bracing, spare sprinkler supply, antifreeze solution (if present), fire department connection

Dry pipe sprinkler system inspection testing and maintenance

• Water flow alarms
  • Test vane type and pressure switch type water flow devices semiannually
  • Water motor gongs tested quarterly
  • 2" Drain test
  • Annually and after any system shut down
• System gauges
  • Test for accuracy every five years (or replace)
• Dry pipe valve
  • Quarterly test of priming water level
  • Quarterly test of low air alarm
  • Interior inspection and cleaning of valve annually
  • Trip test annually
  • Full flow trip test every three years
  • Throttled trip test in alternate years
  • Test any low temperature devices at beginning of heating season
  • Test and maintain low point drains at beginning of heating season and as needed
• Quick opening devices
  • Quarterly test of quick opening device
  • Rebuild or repair all orifices, strainers and filters as needed
• Control valves
  • Test tamper switches semiannually
  • Operate and lubricate valve through full range of operation annually
• Sprinkler heads
  • Dry sprinklers to be tested every 10 years or replaced
  • Sprinkler manufactured prior to 1920 are to be replaced
• Dry pipe system obstruction Investigation
  • Flushing and removal of end sprinkler from a branch line — five years

Common components to all system inspection testing and maintenance

• Fire department connections
  • Inspect quarterly — replace caps as needed
  • Lubricate and verify free operation annually
• Check valves in city pit
  • Interior inspection every five years
• Backflow preventer
  • Test and maintain annually
  • Flow test to meet sprinkler system demand
• Fire hydrants
  • Annual test and lubrication
  • Flow test every five years
• Fire pump
  • Diesel pump driver — Weekly start and run test for 30 minutes
  • Electric pump driver — Monthly start and run test for 10 minutes
  • Annual full flow test
  • Exercise circuit breaker and isolating switch monthly
  • Service electric driver — grease and check connections annually
  • Check pump bearings and pump shaft transmission for lubrication annually
  • Check pump shaft for excess end play annually

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 12‐67
171-1037 (2/14)

Paper is combustible and easily ignitable when finely divided; all that is needed is an ignition source. Under certain conditions, paper dust can create an explosion hazard. In a document destruction operation, both combustible dust and ignition sources are readily available, regardless of whether your operations use fixed equipment, mobile shredding equipment or a combination of both. Without proper controls for this hazard, both your employees and business are at risk.

What can a fire or explosion do to my business?

A fire or explosion will result in damages well beyond the actual physical damage to the truck, building, and/or equipment. Things to consider:

• Possible injuries to people including employees and firefighters that respond to an emergency
• Material not yet shredded end up watersoaked and incapable of being shredded
• Loss of business due to inability to service customers
• Damage to client’s property or simply tarnished reputation from fire in mobile equipment while on client’s premises

What are common ignition sources?

• Sparks generated by metal entering the process such as paper clips, staples, and other metal parts
• Electrical equipment and power supplies
• Plastic contaminants can overheat, melt, and start a fire
• Dust build-up in shredder unit bearings causes lubricants to dry up, resulting in conditions that can cause a spark
• Smoking
• Hot Work

What steps can be taken to minimize this type of loss?

There is no single answer and it depends on your specific situation. It is likely you will need a combination of steps that fall into these categories:

• Management accountability
• Maintenance
• Housekeeping
• Control of ignition sources
• Dust control system
• Fire protection
• Employee training
• Mobile equipment considerations

Management accountability

Management should ensure they understand the hazards associated with their particular operations and provide the resources needed to help ensure safe operations for the business. Management should institute the following:

• Develop a prevention and protection scheme tailored to your operations
• Develop and implement written policies for maintenance, ignition control and housekeeping
• Provide employees with proper training
• Implement a policy to encourage the reporting of unsafe conditions or practices

Maintenance

• Maintain shredding equipment in accordance with manufacturers specifications
• Rotate teeth regularly on rotary grinders
• Fire suppression systems on mobile equipment and in building facilities should be inspected and tested in accordance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
• Implement an electrical preventative maintenance program

Housekeeping

• Practice good housekeeping — if you can leave a footprint or dust depth is greater than 1/16th of an inch, there is a problem. Dust should be cleaned regularly from building members, equipment, etc.
• Make sure to check and clean hidden areas where combustible dust can accumulate
• Use cleaning methods that do not generate dust clouds, such as low velocity sweeping

Control of ignition sources

• Control mechanical sparks and friction
• Prohibit smoking and use of open flames in areas used for storage or processing of combustible material
• Use appropriate electrical equipment and installation methods in accordance with NFPA 70
• Control static electricity by properly bonding equipment to ground
• Use separator devices, such as a tramp metal separator, to remove foreign materials from process materials

Dust control

• Install dust control system on equipment
• Keep equipment away from dock doors to avoid wind gusts that disrupt dust control patterns
• Minimize the escape of dust from process equipment and ventilation systems

Fire protection

• Provide automatic sprinkler protection in buildings, dust collection systems, ductwork conveying combustible dust that is 10 inches in diameter or larger, and other equipment as needed
• Provide a FM (Factory Mutual) approved automatic spark suppression system in dust collection ductwork
• Provide automatic fire protection on mobile trucks
• Provide an adequate number of listed fire extinguishers in both buildings and on mobile equipment
• Provide explosion venting where needed

Employee training

Employee training should include all of the following and should be completed periodically as a refresher or when there are changes to processes:

• Safe work practices
• Ignition source control, housekeeping practices, and dust control
• Recognition of unsafe conditions and steps to take such as alerting management and taking preventative action
• Location and use of fire extinguishers
• Operation of fire protection systems on mobile shredding equipment or specific fixed equipment

Mobile shredding equipment control

• Empty trucks of shredded material before closing for the night; trucks should NOT be left full of material overnight
• Avoid parking trucks inside the building or on a loading dock, to prevent fire on the truck from spreading to a structure
• Regular maintenance on equipment; check oil lines, belts on motors, cutterheads, etc.
• Provide automatic fire suppression system
• Train operator in fire suppression system if manual, or automatic system with secondary manual activation

OSHA’s role

A dust explosion at the Imperial Sugar facility in 2008 killed 14 people. OSHA responded to this tragedy by re-introducing a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on combustible dust. The NEP is focused on 64 national industries, including those involved in scrap, refuse, and waste materials for paper products. For more information visit OSHA's combustible dust page.

Related links

There are various resources available to provide guidance on protecting your facility from the hazards associated with processing paper. Listed below are some references that could be helpful:

• National Fire Protection Association
• NFPA 654, Standard for the prevention of Fire and Dust explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids
• NFPA 70, National Electrical Code®
• OSHA
• 29CFR 1910.94-Ventilation Standard
• 29CFR 1910.22(a)(1)-Workplace Cleanliness
• National Association for Information Destruction
• Professional Records & Information Services Management

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you. The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 12-81
171-0972 (01/14)

Fire pumps are used to ensure an adequate water supply by increasing pressure for fire suppression and, as such, are an integral part of the fire protection system for a facility. Failure of a fire pump to operate under fire conditions can result in a major loss. To help ensure the fire or booster pump is working, there needs to be periodic inspection, maintenance and testing of the pump. The following information provides an overview of the requirements; a separate checklist for electric pump and diesel pump is attached at the end of the document.

Who can perform the inspections and testing

NFPA 25, standard for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems, states that inspection testing and maintenance should be performed by a qualified person who has developed competence through training and experience. Many companies use a qualified outside contractor for the annual flow test on a pump and use in-house personnel for the weekly or monthly tests. Some states require that the person conducting the annual fire pump test be certified.

What needs to be done

Inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements are outlined in NFPA 25, standard for the inspection, testing, and maintenance of water-based fire protection systems. Below is an overview of the inspection and testing activities that should be completed on your pump. A detailed checklist for an electric pump and diesel pump follow on subsequent pages.

Weekly

• Pump house, heating, ventilating louvers
• Fire pump system
• Pump operation (diesel only) — no flow start and run test for 30 minutes

Monthly

• Pump operation (electric only) — no flow start and run test for 10 minutes

Annual

• Full flow test both diesel and electric pumps
• Fire pump alarm signals

Maintenance

• On an annual basis service hydraulic systems, mechanical transmission and motor
• All other maintenance on the pump and associated components varies and should be completed in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Hanover Risk Solutions can help

Your Hanover Risk Solutions consultant can meet with you to explain the inspection, testing, and maintenance requirements based on the fire protection systems installed at your facility. They can discuss the options with you for helping to ensure that your systems are adequately maintained. 

Diesel pump inspection, maintenance* and testing — weekly visual inspection

*Maintenance of the pump and its components should be in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations.

Weekly no flow (“churn”) test

Annual

This material is provided for informational purposes only and does not provide any coverage or guarantee loss prevention. The examples in this material are provided as hypothetical and for illustration purposes only. The Hanover Insurance Company and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“The Hanover”) specifically disclaim any warranty or representation that acceptance of any recommendations contained herein will make any premises, or operation safe or in compliance with any law or regulation. By providing this information to you, The Hanover does not assume (and specifically disclaims) any duty, undertaking or responsibility to you. The decision to accept or implement any recommendation(s) or advice contained in this material must be made by you.

LC JAN 2019 13-01
171-0854 (1/15)