Summary
In short
- A business continuity plan is a plan used in KnowSafe that sets out how the operation keeps running or recovers after a serious disruption. It is built against ISO 22301 and forms part of the Emergency Preparedness programme.
- Written once and reviewed yearly. Owned by senior management.
- The template holds 37 fields across 4 sections.
- ISO is international Organization for Standardization. A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
- It connects to the rest of the library: links Site, Vendor.
What it is
What it is
What is a business continuity plan?
A business continuity plan is a plan used in KnowSafe that sets out how the operation keeps running or recovers after a serious disruption. It is built against ISO 22301 and forms part of the Emergency Preparedness programme.
When is a business continuity plan completed?
A business continuity plan is completed when the thing being planned is created, and again at the stated review interval. Written once and reviewed yearly.
When to use it
When to use it, and when not to
This plan is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use it for
- The event or activity this plan covers has occurred, or is about to
- Authorisation is needed before the work can begin
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form BCP-2026-000
- You are running the Emergency Preparedness programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links site, vendor
Not for
- Emergency Response Plan, which sets out what happens in a fire, medical emergency, spill, power failure or evacuation, including who does what.
- Evacuation Drill Record, which records a practice evacuation, including clearance time, headcount and anything that went wrong.
- Fire Drill Record, which records a fire specific drill, including alarm activation, route use and warden performance.
- Anything outside KnowSafe, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Standards
What it is built against
ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the business continuity plan template based on?+
It is built against ISO 22301. ISO is international Organization for Standardization. A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
What sections does the business continuity plan contain?+
There are 4 sections: header, critical dependencies, people, suppliers and systems, testing. Together they hold 37 fields, 29 of which are required.
How often is a business continuity plan raised?+
A new record is raised when the thing being planned is created, and again at the stated review interval. Each one is given an ID in the form BCP-2026-000, so it can be traced and referenced from other records.
Which programme does the business continuity plan belong to?+
It is part of Emergency Preparedness. Tested arrangements for evacuation, fire, spill, medical and ammonia release, with contractors counted.
Can the business continuity plan template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
The agents
What the agents do with it
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the business continuity plan library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowSafe — safety and compliance. Incidents, hazards, permits, inspections and the critical controls behind them.
Meet KnowSafe→Sources
Sources
- ISO — International Organization for Standardization