G8 summit risks must not be ignored: Marsh

Marsh is warning local businesses against ignoring the risks posed by the G8 summit at Gleneagles, Scotland from 6-8 July.

In light of concerns about civil unrest and disruption in major cities such as London and Edinburgh and around Gleneagles, Marsh has prepared a checklist of risk management actions that firms can take to protect their people, property, information and products:

- Liaise with your local police station, particularly if a G8-related march or demonstration will take place nearby. Follow the practical advice the police give you.

- Conduct an assessment of whether your assets are likely to be targeted, for example, because of your type of organisation or business profile.

- If your business is shared, check whether the building is likely to be a target because of other tenants.

- Review your emergency procedures. Do you have crisis management/evacuation plans?

- Check your physical security measures e.g. access control, walls, fences, locks. Are they serviceable?

- Test your technical security measures e.g. alarms, CCTV. Are they serviceable?

Marsh is also advising firms to review their insurance, making sure that cover is in place for potential claims associated with incidents relating to terrorism, civil disturbances, and business interruption that have an impact on physical assets and employees.

John Nicholson, executive director, CCP, said: “Risks associated with the G8 summit for firms should not be underestimated. Potential risks range from disruption to transport links affecting employees getting to and from work, to the threat of terrorism and serious civil disturbances.

“With just under a week left, it’s still not too late to assess how the summit meeting could affect your business and then put suitable measures in place to reduce its potential impact. It’s vital that companies in key sectors such as finance, or in geographical hotspots like Edinburgh and London, are prepared. If a business has not yet taken action, I would urge it to do so, or ignore the risks at its peril.”

The Business Continuity Institute’s Scottish Forum devoted a recent meeting to exploring the G8 summit threats. BCI members can read a summary of this meeting at: http://www.thebci.org/secure/050415SBCIFMeetingNotes.pdf

•Date: 1st July 2005 • Region: UK • Type: Article •Topic: BC general
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