Everything is fine and working one minute – and the next, the lights have turned off and any plugged-in devices have stopped working – but they are still plugged in, so what has gone wrong? Unfortunately, you have got yourself a power outage which can be quite daunting for any business owner.

So now what? Keep reading to find out what you should do in the event of a power outage in your business.

How a power outage happens

A power outage can happen for a number of reasons, but nowadays, if you experience a power outage, it is most likely to be a local one instead of something affecting the entire nation. However, this is not to say that nationwide power cuts are non-existent – they are just less likely to happen.

A power outage could occur due to:

• Nature – this includes lightning strikes, floods, and so on.
• Damage – possibly a result of fire or theft which damages network equipment.
• Accidents – accidental damage to cables or equipment.
• Dips in voltage – this can lead to short power cuts, but are more common in rural areas.

What to do in a power outage

One of the main things you should have considered at the start of your business is what to do if the power goes down. Power outages directly affect business operations, disrupting what would normally be an ordinary day at work.

You should ideally be disaster recovery planning in case of failure of IT and voice services before you open your business doors to any clients, customers, or employees. This is to ensure that there are effective procedures in place in the event of a disaster, which can result in a power outage, for instance.

Regardless, if you find yourself with a power outage, here are some steps you can take to prioritise everyone’s safety:

1. Turn off or unplug devices – This can range from computers to machines. Ensuring that they are turned off or unplugged can prevent any damage, as well as mitigate hazards and risks to others.
2. Check neighbouring buildings – Look outside windows to see whether nearby buildings are also in the dark. If you can see that their electricity seems to be working fine, it may be a problem in your building itself, and you should call your electrician in order to get it fixed.
3. Calmly evacuate the building – In the case of an entirely dark building, it would be wise to have an evacuation plan with dedicated routes and emergency lighting implemented. Ensure that any persons in the building are aware that they are absolutely not allowed to wander off on their own in search of their personal belongings.
4. Let your customers know – If you are a business catering to online customers, or have busy phone lines, it would be a good idea to inform them on social media or otherwise that your business is experiencing a power outage, and that your website or phone line will be back up as soon as possible. This can help satisfy any customers who may have been online or calling you prior to the power cut and suddenly found themselves with an error page or no answer.

And there you have it – just some of the basics you need to know for dealing with a power outage in your business.