Being prepared for a power outage with a plan of what to do before, during, and after an emergency is crucial for any business to ensure the safety of its employees and customers as well as to limit profit losses.
Here at Speciality Fuel Services (SFS), we provide reliable fuel supplies assisting in the continuity of service for businesses. Below are examples of procedures to follow before, during, and after a power outage.
Procedures for Businesses Before a Power Outage
1. Prepare and train your employees on what to do in the event of an outage. For example, an emergency kit containing water, flashlights, first aid supplies, and other basic items should be available on hand and easily accessible to your employees.
Create a plan for employees to follow in case of a power outage and test it frequently to ensure employees understand their responsibilities. Additionally, educate employees on shutdown procedures for critical equipment such as refrigeration systems, air conditioning systems, alarm systems and more. Not only will your plan keep your employees safe; it will ensure minimal downtime during a power outage and help your business resume regular services as swiftly as possible.
2. Make sure you keep your employees and customers safe. For example, implement instructions that elevators and escalators are not to be used during a power outage. If power lines near your business are down, no one should approach them either in person or in a vehicle.
3. Consider your specific business power needs and invest in a generator that can support such needs so that critical departments can continue running during an outage. If you’re a grocery store, staying open during a power outage prevents downtime and a loss of income. For a data center, your entire business runs on keeping data moving thus preventing loss of revenue and maintaining your reputation. Offices, including police and fire departments must maintain power to ensure that emergency phone calls are not missed and people’s lives are not endangered. Your business’s specific power needs are unique and necessary to maintain.
Determining which areas of your business must maintain power is vital in your initial preparation and training procedures. Using a generator will ensure that certain areas of your business maintain power, but generators will require back-up fuel to run. This is where SFS comes in, providing emergency fuel delivery and helping your business continue to work during a power outage.
Procedures for Businesses During a Power Outage
1. Contact your utility company to report the power outage. Reserve calling 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
2. Make sure all your employees and any possible customers are safe. Check your elevators, escalators, stairwells, and the general premises of your facility for anyone that may require immediate attention.
3. Inspect your fuses or circuit breakers to confirm or rule out the possibility that equipment issues in your facility caused the outage.
4. Turn off major equipment that’s not connected to your backup generator. Surges during an outage can cause damage to equipment and create a fire hazard.
5. In grocery stores and businesses dealing with food products, food safety is a top priority when the power goes out. Such businesses should keep doors shut on refrigeration equipment and keep a thermometer inside each piece of refrigeration equipment to monitor the cooling conditions. If refrigerated trucks are unavailable for long-term outages, coolers containing dry ice can provide a temporary safe temperature for food.
Procedures for Businesses After a Power Outage
1. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes to make sure the power is truly and fully restored to your business.
2. Close the circuit breakers one by one starting with non-critical, single-phase equipment and ending with 3-phase equipment.
3. Safely shut down your backup generator.
4. Check your workplace premises and make sure all operations are back to normal.
Conclusion
The procedures above will help prepare your business when a power outage strikes. No matter the reason for the power outage, we here at Speciality Fuel Services are prepared to supply your emergency fuel needs, keeping your lights on, and power running for as long as needed.