First Steps to Take After Business Interruption: A Checklist for Irish SMEs

By Jim Flannery ACII, Brand Ambassador, OMC Claims. Over 40 years in insurance claims and a founding member of the Irish Claims Consultants Association.

When fire, flood, a break-in or a structural failure suddenly stops your business, the first hours are chaotic and the temptation is to deal with the claim later. That is understandable, and it is also how good claims get weakened. What you do immediately shapes your business interruption insurance claim for months afterwards.

One quick tip before anything else: before engaging with your insurer, understand your policy and preserve all documentation, including proof of the interruption, the financial loss and the physical damage. This checklist gives Irish SMEs a clear running order for those first days, with the reasoning behind each step.

The ten-step checklist

• Ensure everyone is safe

• Notify Gardai or emergency services if relevant

• Report the interruption to your insurer within 24 to 48 hours

• Appoint a regulated loss assessor to represent you

• Log the exact time and date the interruption began

• Secure the premises against further damage or loss

• Begin collecting evidence of financial loss

• Photograph all physical damage, however minor

• Communicate promptly with staff, customers and suppliers

• Review your policy, or get help interpreting it

Why immediate action matters

Business interruption is about income, not just damage. Even if the premises is structurally intact, being unable to trade normally or provide services creates a financial loss that may be claimable, provided you can prove it.

That proof rests on three things. You must show the disruption was caused by an insured event such as fire, flooding, vandalism or structural collapse, linking the operational loss directly to the event. You must evidence a measurable financial impact: lost revenue, missed opportunities and continuing expenses, backed by invoices, sales reports and payroll data. And you must show you took reasonable steps to minimise further loss, because leaving stock exposed to weather or failing to inform clients of a closure can harm the claim.

There is one more reason to act early. Disputes happen, especially on high-value claims. If you have logged your actions, preserved evidence and involved a loss assessor from the start, you are in a far stronger position to challenge an unfair decision or a reduced payout.

Steps 1 to 4: Safety, reporting and representation

1. Ensure the safety of staff, customers and the public

Evacuate immediately if there is any threat, such as fire, gas or electrical risk. Once emergency services have secured the scene, keep the area closed off and record any injuries or incidents. Document your initial response with photographs and written notes, for your health and safety records and for your insurer.

2. Report the incident to Gardai or emergency services

If the interruption involved criminal activity such as theft, arson or a break-in, report it to the Gardai immediately. For fires, flooding or explosions, contact the relevant emergency service. Obtain and keep incident numbers, the names of responding officers and copies of any reports. These references validate the claim later.

3. Notify your insurer within 24 to 48 hours

As soon as it is safe, call your insurance broker or the insurer’s claims line with your policy number, a brief factual summary and an outline of how the incident is affecting the business. Avoid guessing at the cause or the financial impact; stick to what you know. If you are unsure how to frame the report, speak to a loss assessor first.

4. Appoint a regulated loss assessor to represent you

Loss assessors act solely on your behalf, not the insurer’s. They inspect the site, quantify the losses, prepare the claim professionally and deal with the insurer from start to finish. That is a significant advantage on complex or high-value claims, and it lifts the burden of managing the process off your shoulders while you focus on the business. For the wider picture of what the cover includes and how the figures work, see our complete guide to business interruption claims.

Step 5: Log the exact timeline of the interruption

One of the most critical and most overlooked elements of any interruption claim is an accurate record of when the disruption began. Insurers use that timestamp to determine the duration of the interruption, which directly affects the value of the claim. Without a clear timeline, it becomes difficult to prove how long the business could not operate and how much income was lost as a result.

From the moment the incident occurs, keep a written log of the key milestones:

• When the incident occurred: the precise date and time of the insured event. If unsure, reference emergency service logs, CCTV footage or staff accounts

• When operations stopped: the point you ceased trading or suspended services, whether immediately or after inspection and damage control. This is the baseline for lost revenue

• When customers and suppliers were informed: public announcements, client emails and supplier notifications, showing how quickly you moved to limit reputational and logistical damage

• When partial or full trading resumed: even limited services, remote working or trading from an alternative site should be recorded, along with the date full operations returned and under what conditions

• Agree any alternative trading arrangement or temporary lease with your insurers before committing to them to avoid any unnecessary surprises later.

A clear, timeline strengthens the claim and demonstrates professionalism and diligence. It may be cross-checked against invoices, social media updates and security logs, so accuracy is essential.

Step 6: Secure the property

The period immediately after the event, before repairs begin, is when premises are most vulnerable to secondary damage, theft and safety hazards. Insurers expect reasonable, timely action to reduce further loss, and a failure to act can increase the overall damage and trigger policy clauses around negligence and avoidable losses.

The practical measures:

• Board up or temporarily secure broken doors and windows against intruders, pests and weather

• Disconnect utilities where safe to do so: damaged wiring, gas leaks and broken plumbing cause further fires, flooding and contamination if left live

• Install temporary security such as CCTV, alarms or lighting if the premises will stand vacant or exposed, which also deters opportunistic theft

• Move salvageable stock, machinery and documentation to a dry, secure location, whether temporary storage or another business site

• Record every mitigation action with photographs, dated notes and receipts, from images of boarded windows to your electricity shut-off time and invoices from emergency contractors

Securing the property is about more than protecting physical assets. It preserves the strength of the claim, because documented, reasonable steps to minimise loss are a requirement under most Irish business insurance policies.

Step 7: Collect evidence of financial loss

A successful claim depends on proving not just that a disruption occurred, but what it cost: how turnover was affected, what orders and opportunities were lost, and which unavoidable operating costs continued, and what additional costs were incurred in order to generate turnover. Start compiling the financial picture from day one, because details become harder to retrieve later and gaps in the records delay settlements or reduce payouts.

What to capture:

• Cancelled client orders, bookings and events, with customer names where appropriate, dates, expected values and any deposits or refunds issued

• Missed revenue from footfall or online sales, using historic sales data to show normal daily or weekly takings under ordinary conditions

• Supplier delays and disrupted deliveries that affected production, stock or customer fulfilment, with the emails, delivery notices and supplier statements to prove it

• Ongoing expenses that continued regardless: wages, rent or mortgage, utilities, software subscriptions and insurance premiums

• Supporting documents: monthly and weekly sales reports, invoices for lost or cancelled work, payroll records and rosters, and bank statements showing the revenue dip and recurring outgoings

• Increased costs incurred to generate turnover or mitigate against further loss, supported by supplier invoices

Keep everything organised and backed by proof. Insurers expect consistency, and a tidy, contemporaneous file quantifies the loss with credibility.

Step 8: Photograph all physical damage

The interruption claim may centre on financial loss, but visual evidence of physical damage establishes that an insured event occurred and connects it directly to the disruption, which insurers usually require. Even minor or secondary damage adds context, and the more thoroughly the premises is documented, the harder the claim is to challenge.

Photograph damaged stock, products and equipment, from inventory spoiled by water or fire to broken point-of-sale systems and machinery. Capture fire, smoke and water damage on walls, ceilings and surfaces, including water from firefighting, and for break-ins, the forced entry points: shattered windows, damaged locks, broken doors. Record structural issues and safety hazards such as collapsed ceilings, fallen shelving, burst pipes or exposed wiring, which explain why the business had to close or relocate.

Use wide shots of each room to show the overall scene, then close-ups of individual items, in good light and timestamped where possible. A narrated video walkthrough is especially persuasive, because photographs and video are objective, timestamped and difficult to dispute.

Step 9: Communicate with staff, customers and suppliers

Timely, transparent communication is a vital part of the response, not an afterthought. It manages expectations, maintains trust, protects the brand, and can itself form part of the claim evidence. Poor or delayed communication risks confusion, lost customers, reputational harm and, in some industries, legal liability.

Keep staff informed as soon as it is safe: whether the premises is accessible, whether work pauses or moves remote, and what safety protocols apply. Clear internal communication also helps manage payroll and record the labour disruption. Contact suppliers to pause orders, rearrange deliveries or renegotiate payment terms, with a brief explanation and anticipated timelines. Update customers factually through your website, social channels, email and on-site signage, covering what is unavailable and when you expect to resume; good communication limits cancellations and keeps loyalty through the downtime.

Save every message: emails, texts, letters, social posts and internal announcements. This trail demonstrates the real-world impact and your effort to limit it, and can support indirect loss claims such as cancellation penalties or reputational damage. Claims are not just about numbers; they are about showing the business responded professionally.

Step 10: Review your policy and entitlements

Before the claim is submitted, read the policy properly, because the conditions, exclusions and limits in it decide the outcome. This matters even more where the business relies on multiple locations, services or suppliers, since cover can apply differently to access issues, utility failures and regional incidents. Four things to check:

• Which events are covered: the listed insured perils such as fire, flooding, storm, theft or malicious damage. An interruption caused by something not listed, such as cybercrime or a nearby incident, may need extended or bespoke cover

• The indemnity period: the maximum time the insurer will compensate lost income, commonly 3, 6, 12 or 24 months, which frames your cash flow planning, recovery efforts and documentation

• Denial of access and utility failure cover: protection where Gardai, fire services or public safety closures restrict access, or where a power, water or telecoms outage halts operations. These are often optional add-ons

• The documentation requirements: the financial statements, incident reports, photographs, proof of mitigation and timeline the insurer will expect, so nothing is missing at submission

Policies are written in dense legal language, and misreading them may lead to under-claiming or denial. If anything is unclear, have a regulated loss assessor explain the cover in plain English before you approach the insurer. Getting that right at the start dramatically improves the odds of a full-value settlement.

Frequently asked questions

What events qualify for a business interruption insurance claim?
Covered events typically include fire, storm, flood, theft, structural failure and water damage. Check your policy to confirm which insured perils apply to your business.

Is loss of profits covered under business interruption insurance?
Yes. Most policies cover loss of gross profit or turnover losses (loss of revenue). You will need to demonstrate your usual income against the interrupted period, allowing for any trends in the business, plus any increased costs, less any savings.

What if my premises are inaccessible but not damaged?
Many policies include denial of access cover, which responds where a nearby incident, such as a fire next door, and the local authorities prevent you opening even though your own property is undamaged.

How long will my business be covered?
For the indemnity period, typically 3 to 24 months. It is the maximum duration the insurer will cover lost income and expenses, provided the interruption was caused by a covered event.

What documents will I need to support my claim?
Financial statements from before and during the interruption, sales records, lease agreements or rent demands, payroll and scheduling records, and photographs plus emergency service invoice. A loss assessor can gather and present these professionally.

Can I make a claim if my business operates from home?
Yes, if you hold a business insurance policy that includes interruption cover. Make sure your insurer was informed about the nature of the home-based operation, otherwise the cover may be limited.

The first days pass quickly, but the file you build during them lasts the whole claim. OMC Claims acts only for policyholders, across all 26 counties. Contact us for a free, no-obligation conversation.

About OMC Claims

OMC Claims (Owens McCarthy Ltd) is Ireland’s largest independent firm of loss assessors, acting only for policyholders, never for insurers. We provide nationwide coverage, with loss assessors serving Dublin, Cork, Limerick and every other county in Ireland. Part of the Fexco group and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (Registration Number C-46734), our team brings over 250 years of combined claims experience and handles more than 2,000 home and business claims a year, from straightforward domestic losses to large and complex commercial claims. We assess the damage, prepare and value your claim, and negotiate with your insurer to work to secure the settlement you are entitled to.

Disclaimer: This content is for general informational purposes only and aims to provide a first-steps checklist after a business interruption. It does not constitute legal, financial, or insurance advice. For guidance tailored to your specific circumstances, please consult a claims professional or your insurance broker/provider.