Preparing Your Business For A Power Outage
Posted on: 30 June 2015
At some point, every business experiences a power outage due to an electrical malfunction or severe weather. You need to prepare so that, if the power goes out, you can keep your employees and customers safe and, in some instances, continue to do business.
Lights
You should invest in emergency lights that automatically turn on during a power outage. If the building has little natural light, you should also provide each employee with a flashlight. This step is most important if your office is in a high-rise building. In severe situations, you might be required to evacuate your employees and customers, so adequate lighting is necessary for navigating darkened stairwells.
Computers
To protect your data, you should have your computer system plugged into a surge protector and an uninterrupted power source (UPS). The surge protector will keep your system from being damaged by diverting harmful power surges into a grounding wire. The uninterrupted power source will keep your computer working for a few minutes so that you can finish the job you are on and save any new information. After that, the computer will safely shut down.
Food and Water
If stormy weather is the cause for your blackout, your staff and your customers may be stuck in the store for an extended time. Stock a supply of bottled water and some snack bars. Keeping everyone happy during a stressful time will buy you good will that can ultimately result in increased business.
Radio
In most situations, you should be able to use your cell phone to get emergency information, but as a backup, keep a battery-powered radio on hand. That way if phone and WiFi service is disrupted, you still have access to the latest news on the outage.
Receipts
Many businesses keep running during outages, particularly ones that sell essentials. If the computer system is down, you can always carry on with carbonless paper receipts and invoices. You should have your employees practice filling these out before an emergency strikes. Using carbonless copy paper is easy. It leaves no carbon smudges and provides you with several copies. Give one copy to the customer and keep two copies for your records. You can easily enter the transactions into the computer system when power is restored.
During a power outage at your business, you can keep your employees and customers safe and happy with a little planning and a few necessary supplies. Protect your computers and keep some carbonless copy paper on hand, and you will also be able to do a little business while the lights are out.
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