How A Carbon Monoxide Leak Can Disrupt Your Restaurant Business


As a restaurant owner or manager, the measures you need to take in the case of a carbon monoxide (CO) leaks can cause serious damage to your business. Here are four examples of measures you need to implement in the case of a CO leak, and how they can affect your business:

Shutting Down All Heating Systems

When the alarm goes off, you need to shut down all heating systems in the building. This is necessary because heating systems produce carbon monoxide, and one of the appliances or systems may be responsible for the leak. This means you will need to shut down the furnace, water heater, and your kitchen ranges, and others. Of course, most foods that were in the process of being prepared will go bad.

Evacuating the Restaurant

When a carbon monoxide detector goes off, you have to evacuate the building. Carbon monoxide is highly poisonous, which means you need to do a headcount and ensure that everyone is out of the building. Now imagine this happening during peak business hours, for example, when your patrons have just sat down to eat their dinner. Suffice is to say that your take home that day will be meaningless, and you are likely to experience a loss for the day.

Calling Emergency Responders

Some carbon monoxide detectors are designed to alert the authorities immediately they go off. Even if you don't have such a system, you should call 911 immediately after your carbon monoxide detectors sound the alarm. The authorities need to confirm that everybody is out of the building, rescue those who are trapped, administer first aid, and take the injured to the emergency room.

You can imagine how the area around your business will be chaotic moments after the alarm goes off. People will be scrambling to get out of the building, some may block the streets with their personal cars, and the emergency vehicles may also block the streets and nearby roads. Things are likely to be particularly chaotic if your restaurant is big or is located in a big building, and the nearby streets are narrow. It may take a long time to clear the streets, and there are high chances you won't be working again that day.

Calling Repair Technicians

When you experience a carbon monoxide leak, you need the issue diagnosed and fixed before you can continue with your business. In fact, you aren't supposed to reenter the building until it is certified safe. Now a typical restaurant has perishable foods that have to be eaten soon after they are prepared. In the case of a real carbon monoxide scare, such foods are likely to go to waste.

Carbon monoxide leaks include malfunctioning heating appliances, cracked heat exchangers, blocked vents, and other forms of malfunctions in your heating and ventilation system. Ensuring that all your heating and ventilation installations are properly installed and maintained may help you avoid CO leaks.


29 November 2016

Home Remedies for Plumbing Problems
