Choosing an Emergency Power Test Time

Many hospitals conduct their emergency power supply system (EPSS) tests at the start of the day, such as just before the first shift commences.  This is when most of the operating rooms are not yet occupied for the day.

Another option is in the afternoon, either immediately after lunch or later that afternoon.  Testing at the end of the lunch period, however, may conflict with the hospital's patient focus.  This early afternoon test may be problematic due to the hospital's concern about avoiding elevator recalls when there is a high visitor population riding the elevators. 

Some hospitals schedule EPSS testing for the third shift, or nighttime.  This approach can minimize the impact of the testing on daytime hospital operations, but may become problematic when equipment failures occur during the test and the full daytime shift complement of operations and maintenance personnel are not yet on duty to deal with the failure expeditiously.

For additional discussion, including a detailed discussion of the common effects of monthly EPSS testing in hospitals, refer to my 2009 ASHE Management Monograph “Managing Hospital Emergency Power Systems – Testing, Operation, Maintenance and Power Failure Planning” that can be obtained directly from ASHE at http://www.ashe.org/resources/management_monographs/mg2009stymiest.html.  

IMPORTANT NFPA DISCLAIMER: Although the author is Chair of the NFPA Technical Committee on Emergency Power Supplies, which is responsible for NFPA 110 and 111, the views and opinions expressed in this message are purely those of the author and shall not be considered the official position of NFPA or any of its Technical Committees and shall not be considered to be, nor be relied upon as, a Formal Interpretation. Readers are encouraged to refer to the entire text of all referenced documents.  NFPA members can obtain NFPA staff interpretations at http://www.nfpa.org/.

Managing the Impact and Costs of Emergency Power Testing on Hospital Operations: A Case Study

By David L. Stymiest, PE CHFM FASHE; Jack W Dean, PE; and Anand K. Seth, PE CEM 
(This white paper was first presented at ASHE's 35th Annual Conference, July 1998.  It has not been updated for 2011 and is provided here as an historical reference only.)

Introduction

Hospitals are required to have an emergency power testing program in place to meet the requirements of NFPA 70, NFPA 99 and NFPA 110, as well as standards established by accreditation organizations such as JCAHO. The goal of the emergency power testing program should be to comply with regulatory requirements without adversely affecting the operation of the hospital or the well-being of the patients. The specific requirements to be met are referenced by the forerunner to this paper. That technical document addresses the importance of simulating actual loading conditions during the testing period and the necessity of following up on the test results to identify problems and take corrective action. This paper builds upon that publication by detailing a case study of emergency power testing occurring over a significant period of time at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), issues uncovered (which might be described as second order consequences of the emergency power testing effort) and the steps taken to eliminate problematic issues.

Emergency power testing programs involve transferring the power sources of operating systems from utility power to the emergency generators and back. This action can cause disruption to increasingly more complex clinical and building equipment, building automation systems, and hospital operations. When managed properly and proactively followed through, these disruptions are valuable learning experiences and provide opportunities to improve the hospital infrastructure, improve hospital operations and reduce the hidden costs of testing. This case study presents a number of lessons learned and offers proactive strategies for managing the process. The lessons learned also illustrate areas where future system designs should be improved.

Read entire article here: Managing the Impact and Costs of Emergency Power Testing