Most of our clients invest considerable time and resources into ensuring their emergency generator service is up-to-date. Keeping your generator in good condition is the key to keeping your operations moving forward and protecting the health and safety of your employees. However, even the best-maintained generator can suffer a critical failure. Weather, accidents, and other events can transform your generator into a potentially lethal piece of machinery. Should an employee suffer an injury, your personnel must be able to provide First Aid until first responders can arrive. This is especially important if the generator is located at a remote worksite where help may be far away.

Electrical Safety 101

Electric shock is one of the most significant hazards associated with emergency power generators. If an employee is electrocuted, it's important not to touch them while they're still in contact with the electrical source. Your first step should be to turn off the generator, and then separate the individual from the live wire, electrical component, etc. If you cannot turn off the source, use a nonconducting object to detach the individual from the point of contact.

Once clear, you will want to cover the individual with a blanket, check the individual's breathing, and administer CPR if necessary. You will also want to inspect and note any burns, changes to the state of consciousness, fluctuating heart rate, and muscle pain. If there are burns, cover these with an appropriate gauze bandage.

Fire Extinguisher 101

Spilled fuel, oil residue, and other combustibles can ignite when they come into contact with a hot generator motor. Fire extinguishers can help put the flames out before they can spread.

To properly use a fire extinguisher, employees need to "pull the pin," and aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire. Operators should squeeze the trigger and sweep the device back and forth. It is imperative to perform this procedure within the range of the device. Depending on the size of the fire, it may take more than one device to extinguish the flames; thus, it is always advisable to have multiple fire extinguishers readily available.

First Aid Fundamentals

There are many dangers inherent to construction, mining, oil, and gas exploration, etc. Regardless of your industry, it's a safe bet you'll benefit by investing in first aid training for your personnel.  The Red Cross, local fire departments, police departments, and other organizations regularly offer first aid training courses. Enrolling employees in these courses do more than ensure you have a team of first responders on hand; it creates a safety mindset within your team that can go a long way towards preventing dangerous behaviors and correcting safety deficiencies before they result in accidents.

We're happy to tell you more about the emergency generator safety tips we employ in our operations. We invite you to contact Gen-Tech Power Generation Specialists at (800) 625-8324 with your questions about generator safety and the steps you can take to protect your systems from catastrophic failures.