Checklist template

Active threat and severe weather preparedness for retailers

A ready-to-use checklist with 118 items in 6 sections, covering Plans, Communication, Shelter and lockdown areas, Training, Drills, Recovery. Use it as-is in Bindy, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 118 Items
  • 103 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 133 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Plans 21 items

  1. A written active threat response plan is kept at the store Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The active threat plan is specific to this store, with its floor plan, exits and lockable rooms Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The plan uses the run, hide, fight approach or the model adopted by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The plan covers a threat that starts in the parking lot or in a neighboring mall tenant Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The plan covers a robbery or a violent customer as distinct from an active attacker Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The plan covers bomb threats, with a call checklist at the phones Yes / No 1 pt
  7. A written severe weather plan is kept at the store Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The severe weather plan names the hazards of the region (tornado, hurricane, winter storm, wildfire smoke, flood, earthquake) Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The plan states who decides to shelter customers, close the store or send employees home Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The plan states the trigger for each action (watch, warning, official evacuation order) Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The plan sets the steps for closing ahead of a hurricane or major storm (boarding, moving stock off the floor, shutting off utilities) Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The plan covers a power failure, including refrigerated product and powered doors Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The plan covers employees who cannot travel home safely Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Plans were reviewed in the last 12 months Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Date of the last review of the plans Date
  16. The plans are available to the manager on duty on every shift, including nights and weekends Yes / No 1 pt
  17. The landlord's or mall's emergency plan is on file, where the store is a tenant Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Local police have been given the store's floor plan or invited to walk the store, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Utility shut-offs for gas, water and main power are labeled Yes / No 1 pt
  20. The manager on duty asked could find the utility shut-offs Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Quality of the written plans Rating
    • Site-specific, current and available every shift 5 pts
    • Generic or out of date 3 pts
    • Missing 1 pt

2. Communication 20 items

  1. The store has an overhead page or code for a lockdown that employees recognize Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The store has a distinct announcement for severe weather shelter Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Announcements use plain language where company policy calls for it Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Any phone in the store can reach the overhead paging system Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The paging code or dial sequence is posted at each phone Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Managers and key employees carry two-way radios with charged batteries Yes / No 1 pt
  7. A radio check during the visit reached the receiving area and the garden center or outdoor yard Yes / No 1 pt
  8. A weather alert radio or alert app is active in the manager's office or on the manager's phone Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The weather alert radio has working backup batteries Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Emergency numbers and the store's street address are posted at each phone Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Panic or duress buttons at the service desk, cash office or pharmacy were tested per the alarm company's schedule Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Date of the last panic button test Date
  13. Employees asked knew to call emergency services themselves, without waiting for a manager, once safe Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The employee contact list is current and can be reached from outside the store Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The mass text or call-out system for reaching employees before a shift was tested in the last 12 months Yes / No 1 pt
  16. The district manager and the company emergency line appear on the contact list Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Employees asked knew to refer media questions to the company spokesperson Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Employees asked knew not to post about an incident on social media Yes / No 1 pt
  19. A way to tell customers that the store is closed (door signs, phone message, website update) is prepared Yes / No 1 pt
  20. Ability to alert everyone in the store quickly Rating
    • Tested and heard in every area 5 pts
    • Works in most areas or untested 3 pts
    • No reliable means 1 pt

3. Shelter and lockdown areas 21 items

  1. Rooms designated for lockdown are identified in the plan (stockroom, offices, break room, cash office) Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Each lockdown room tested during the visit can be locked or barricaded from the inside Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Lockdown rooms have no interior windows, or the windows can be covered Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A phone or a radio is available in each lockdown room Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Employees asked could name the nearest lockdown room to their work area Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Employees asked knew the exits other than the main entrance for getting out Yes / No 1 pt
  7. The main entrance doors can be locked quickly by the manager on duty, with keys or controls at hand Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Automatic doors can be switched to locked mode, and the manager on duty knows how Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The receiving door and the employee entrance are kept closed and locked when not in use Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The tornado or severe weather shelter areas are identified in the plan Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Weather shelter areas are interior spaces away from windows, skylights and the wide-span sales floor roof where possible Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Weather shelter areas are marked with signs Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Shelter areas are free of stored stock that would keep people out Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Shelter areas are not beneath heavy overhead stock or racking Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Shelter areas can hold the number of customers and employees usually in the store Yes / No 1 pt
  16. People the designated weather shelter areas can hold Number
  17. Flashlights with working batteries are kept in or near the shelter areas Yes / No 1 pt
  18. A first aid kit and a bleeding control kit are kept at a known location Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Bottled water and blankets are kept for a prolonged shelter Yes / No 1 pt
  20. Outdoor merchandise, carts and garden center displays can be brought in or tied down ahead of high winds Yes / No 1 pt
  21. Suitability of shelter and lockdown areas Rating
    • Identified, marked, clear and lockable 5 pts
    • Identified, with gaps 3 pts
    • Not identified or unusable 1 pt

4. Training 19 items

  1. New employees receive active threat training during orientation Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Active threat training is on file for a sample of 5 employees Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Training was refreshed within the period set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Employees asked could explain run, hide, fight or the company's model in their own words Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Employees asked knew that they are not expected to confront an armed person Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Employees asked knew how to act when police arrive (hands visible, follow commands) Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Managers have received de-escalation training for aggressive customers Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Cashiers and service desk employees have received robbery response training Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Employees asked knew to comply during a robbery and not to chase Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Employees are trained to report threats, stalking and domestic concerns that could reach the workplace Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Threats made by customers or employees are reported to loss prevention or human resources Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Severe weather training is on file for the same sample of employees Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Employees asked could tell a weather watch from a weather warning Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Employees asked could name the store's weather shelter area Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Cart attendants and garden center employees asked knew when to come inside for lightning Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Seasonal hires receive both briefings before their first shift Yes / No 1 pt
  17. At least one employee on each shift is trained in first aid and bleeding control Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Managers asked knew the steps to take when a warning is issued for the store's area Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Employee knowledge of what to do Rating
    • Every employee asked gave the right actions 5 pts
    • Some hesitated or missed a step 3 pts
    • Most did not know what to do 1 pt

5. Drills 17 items

  1. A lockdown or active threat drill or tabletop exercise was held within the period set by company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Date of the last active threat drill or tabletop exercise Date
  3. Active threat drills are announced beforehand and do not simulate gunfire or use surprise Yes / No 1 pt
  4. A severe weather shelter drill was held before the start of the storm season Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Date of the last severe weather shelter drill Date
  6. Minutes taken to move everyone to the shelter areas in the last drill Number
  7. Drills have included the overnight or early-morning crew Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Drills have included in-store tenants and vendors present Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The lockdown announcement was tested and heard in the stockroom and the restrooms Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Door locking was timed during the last drill Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Managers on every shift have led or taken part in a drill Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Each drill has a written report with the problems found Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Problems found in the last drill have been corrected Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Local police or emergency management took part in or reviewed a drill, where company policy calls for it Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The mall or shopping center drill, where there is one, included this store Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Employees asked remembered taking part in a drill in the last 12 months Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Drill program Rating
    • Both drills held on schedule with follow-up 5 pts
    • One held, or no follow-up 3 pts
    • No drills 1 pt

6. Recovery 20 items

  1. The plan names who gives the all-clear after a lockdown or a shelter Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The plan sets how employees and customers are accounted for after an event (schedule, sign-in sheet) Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The re-entry checklist covers structural damage, gas smell and water before anyone goes back in after a storm Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The recovery checklist calls for a qualified contractor to check the roof, skylights and rooftop units after high winds or hail Yes / No 1 pt
  5. The recovery checklist calls for damaged racking or fixtures to be unloaded and inspected before the area reopens Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Refrigerated and frozen product is checked against time and temperature limits after a power failure Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Managers asked knew to photograph damage before cleanup begins Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Managers asked knew to report an event to the district manager and the company emergency line Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The contact numbers for the restoration contractor, the board-up service and the generator supplier are on file Yes / No 1 pt
  10. The store has a procedure for securing cash and high-value stock when the building is damaged or left unattended Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Managers asked knew to leave the scene untouched after a violent event until police release it Yes / No 1 pt
  12. The employee assistance program contact is posted in the break room Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Counseling is offered to employees after a violent event, per company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The manager asked could state the company's pay and scheduling policy for a weather closure Yes / No 1 pt
  15. A debrief is held after every real event, with the lessons written down Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Lessons from the last real event or drill have been added to the plan Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Weather closures or lockdowns in the last 12 months Number
  18. Name of the store manager Short text
  19. Overall preparedness for active threats and severe weather Rating
    • Plans, alerts, shelter areas and drills all in place 5 pts
    • Plans in place, training or drills behind 3 pts
    • No usable plan or no way to alert the store 1 pt
  20. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the Bindy template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In Bindy you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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