As business owners, we plan for all kinds of issues from workplace accidents and injuries to cash flow problems. One thing that we often forget to think about, however, is the possibility of a power cut.
Power cuts can cause a lot of damage to the average business if that business has not planned ahead. They can cause work to halt, data to be lost, and ultimately lose your company money too.
Right now, there is a real possibility that we could be facing power outages in the UK, so it is the perfect time to start planning for power cuts if you have not already done so.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to minimise a power cut’s impact on your company:
Have a backup
If you do not want to work to be interrupted by a power cut, then having a backup generator on site is a really good way to ensure you can keep working through and not end up losing in terms of productivity and revenue.
It is also a good idea to look at data centre UPS solutions for your IT network. These often have an uninterruptable power source, which means you can continue to access vital data networks even if the power does go out for a bit, and they are much more reasonably priced than you might imagine.
And an emergency plan
Having an emergency plan drawn up, which tells staff what to do if the power goes out is a good way to prevent panic when the worst does happen. Lay down what they need to do to be safe, and what procedures they should follow to ensure your equipment is kept safe too, and make sure everyone has a copy they can look at.
Don’t let anyone use lifts or escalators
When the power cuts, do not let anyone, customers or employees, get into lifts or escalators which can behave erratically when the power is not functioning as it should. Get everyone into one place, check they are safe, and lead them to the safest route out of the building if you can.
Keep an emergency kit
As well as your first aid kit, which you should always have on the premises, make sure every department in your business also has an emergency power cut kit with torches, batteries a map of the safe exits, water that is safe to drink, and anything else they may need.
You should also have fire extinguishers dotted around the whole building in case the emergency sprinkler system is affected by a power outage, too.
Turn off equipment
If you can safely do so, then turning off vital equipment like computers and machinery will decrease the chances of them being damaged by power surges, although you should have power surge protectors installed anyway.
Planning for every eventuality will make your business stronger, so be sure to put plans in place for power outages as soon as possible.