One of the most inconvenient things to happen in your business is for the weather or an emergency to mess with the power. your entire team could be in the workplace, and if the power goes out, what do you do next? Your business has to prepare for any power outage in the best possible way, and planning for your business to lose power is important – even if it hasn’t happened yet.

You may already know what it means to install an emergency generator, and you may have done your research on back up fuel (you can click here for more on that!). Your business needs to prepare for outages, especially if you don’t have an existing plan in place. You don’t want to wreck your bottom line by being unprepared, and if you are not prepared and you do lose power, you also need a plan of what to do next. Let’s take a look!

Preparing for a power outage takes some time and we’ve got the checklist that you need to be ready below.

Emergency Plan

Most electricians and experts in gas are available when you need them to be, and so it’s important that you have the details of at least three local emergency electricians in your emergency plan. This will cover you in the eventuality that your chosen electrician is unavailable. By having their details in your emergency plan, you’ll know who to call when the power goes out.

Emergency Lights

You should have commercial electricians in place to install emergency lighting to back up your business if the main power goes out. This will mean getting your emergency generator installed way before any kind of power outage – and this way, you can be prepared for anything. Emergency lights will ensure that your business premises stays lit while you rush to get the power back on everywhere else.

Evacuation Plan

Regardless of the size of the building, evacuating employees is important. You have to have a designated, well-lit area either down the street or on the premises for everyone to gather. The area should be far enough away that everyone can find where they should be, but close enough to the business that everyone can remain aware of what’s going on.

Emergency Kits

Every single workstation should have an emergency kit attached to it with a team leader chosen to manage the kit. It should include torches, spare batteries, bottled water and hi-vis vests to be seen in the dark. This is so important if you have to navigate stairwells, dark areas or basements. Training one person on what to do in the event of an emergency per team will also ensure that everyone is calm.

No Power Radio & Phone

Keep a phone that is battery powered, and a battery powered radio in the office so that your staff can still communicate with others and hear the news reports without the need for electricity. This will keep you in touch with the outside world no matter what.