Generator Risk Assessments

An ASHE member recently posted on the ASHE Listserv asking if anyone knew of a generator risk assessment.

We responded to the Listerv:   

1. "Log into ASHE's website and go to  
 http://www.ashe.org/resources/management_monographs/mg2009stymiest.html  

2. "Managing Hospital Emergency Power Systems - Testing, Operation, Maintenance and Power Failure Planning".  

3.  A PDF of this document is available for free to all ASHE members.  It can be downloaded from that URL.  

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Maintenance Free Emergency Generator Starting Batteries

Am I permitted to use maintenance free generator starting batteries?

Generator O&M Manuals and Generator Logs

Question: What are the requirements for my generator O&M manuals and my generator logs?

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/.

The following excerpts are from NFPA 110-1999 (the edition presently imposed by CMS and TJC):  NOTE paragraph 6-2.2 on instruction manuals and paragraph 6-3.4 on the logs:

Rx for Emergency Power Reliability

by David Stymiest, P.E., CHFM, FASHE, CEM, GBE (in Maintenance Technology)

Just because EP systems are out of sight doesn’t mean they should be out of mind. Many facilities don’t know theirs are unhealthy until they really need them. As some unlucky operations have learned, that’s too late.

What is emergency power (EP) reliability? It’s having EP available to power WHAT it needs to, WHEN it needs to, FOR AS LONG AS it needs to. That’s quite a tall order, but one that can be satisfied with a comprehensive approach.

Read entire article here: Rx for Emergency Power Reliability

Generator Weekly Inspection Tip

Here is a quick tip for a useful and proactive task to do during your generator weekly inspections.  How often do you see evidence of leakage beneath your generator sets - either fuel oil, lube oil, or cooling water?  Make sure to note the presence of that oil, and then clean it up (remove it) so that the slab under the generator set is clean.  That way if leakage is observed during future weekly inspections you will know that you have an active leak that must be dealt with proactively to avoid costly future problems and potential generator failures.