A Commercial Electrical Contractor will be able to provide you with one.
Whether you’re running a medical clinic or a gourmet restaurant, the majority of your equipment runs on electrical power. Trouble with your electrical system can run the gamut from annoying, as with a blown light bulb, to the crucial when you need medical equipment to be available for sick patients. You can install a backup generator to get you back up and running in case of a power outage, but what about preventing other electrical problems? An electrical preventive maintenance program, or EPM, will prevent almost all the foreseeable trouble you might encounter with any of your electrical systems and equipment. A commercial electrical contractor will be able to answer questions you may have about setting up your own program.
Safety
Electrical equipment is one of the three most common causes of fire in all businesses. Fires cause millions of dollars in damage every year, but more importantly, they’re a danger to employees and firefighters. Most fires can be prevented by investigating wiring and electrical systems in the business, and repairing or replacing frayed wires and other damaged equipment. Wear and tear on equipment is normal, and starts the minute you install it in your business. The only way to know when your equipment has worn to the point of being dangerous is by scheduling an electrical preventive maintenance program.
Benefits
Installing an EPM program into your monthly schedule may seem like an intrusive and time-consuming chore, but the benefits far outweigh the costs in every case.
- It reduces accidents and fires and could save lives
- It controls the costs of repairs and equipment replacement. Costs are spread out over time instead of you being hit with one large, unexpected bill
- It increases the chances of your having breakdown-free days. If a breakdown does occur, your business downtime is usually significantly shorter.
- It maintains your equipment at its highest operating efficiency
- It can improve employee morale. Team members know you value them enough to take care of your work environment, and they aren’t as worried about equipment breaking down and interrupting their work day
Things to Consider
Creating an EPM program isn’t an invisible, behind-the-scenes process. It takes time and effort on the part of employees and management alike, but it’s much less disruptive than a power outage or sitting through downtime on a major piece of equipment. Every business is different, but you can expect it to take about six hours every month to complete. If you have an interruption-sensitive business with customers that walk in your door, you’ll have to schedule people to stay after normal closing time to work with the commercial electrical contractor.
The cost of the program will depend on the age and condition of all the electrical equipment in the building. You and the contractor will consider things such as equipment condition, the possibility of product spoilage when systems are down, changes in system loads due to increased business, and the local weather patterns when you sit down to finalize your plan. It’s a very personalized process, and one which can only be planned out after a thorough inspection of your entire business. Once the plan is made, you can expect at minimum for the contractor to inspect the wiring, circuit breakers, connections to HVAC systems, and any piece of electrical equipment you may use including POS systems. He’ll check for condition and safety in every part of your business, and repair any parts that appear to be wearing out, to ensure that your business will continue to run safely.
Recent Comments