Graphic Media Alliance

06/02/2026

How Would Your Business Respond if the Power Goes Out?

Source: Federated Insurance, May 19, 2026

When your business can’t run due to a power outage, it can lead to dangerous conditions and costly downtime. Establishing and communicating a strong emergency preparedness and recovery plan can help you and your employees react safely and recover quickly if your business loses electricity.

Build Your Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan

A power outage is never ideal for anyone, but the business impact can be especially damaging. Although outages often coincide with severe weather, having a plan in place can be beneficial any time. The following tips can be a good place to start:

• Outline best practices for before, during, and after a power outage.
• Identify critical systems that require immediate power.
• Install surge protection to help safeguard equipment and computer systems.
• Regularly test generators to ensure they can support critical loads.
• Establish clear procedures to disconnect and reconnect systems when power returns.
• Assign qualified staff to maintain and recover electrical equipment safely and provide key employees with accurate documentation.
• Verify insurance coverage for equipment breakdowns and update contact information.
• Use off-site or cloud storage for computer backups, and back data up regularly.
• Address liability concerns with emergency lighting and clear safety procedures for employees and clients.

Keep Up With Electrical Maintenance

A recovery plan works best when paired with regular preventative maintenance. Following manufacturer specifications for electrical maintenance can help to reduce the risk of unscheduled outages. In addition, older, poorly maintained electrical systems may lead to efficiency loss and costly breakdowns. Regularly schedule a thorough inspection of your business by a qualified professional to help catch these risks.

Take action before a power outage occurs.

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GMA's Disaster Mutual Assistance Plan (DMAP) Program is Like Insurance – It's There in Case You Need It.

Fortunately, printers do not often experience a disaster which interrupts their business operations but occasionally it happens. Storm damage, floods, fire, equipment breakdown, labor disputes, cyber-attacks, or other regional or national disasters can bring production operations to a screeching halt and prevent or delay a company from fulfilling its customers’ needs. Companies can buy insurance to cover the cost of the damage and recover the cost of additional business expenses, but still must serve their customers. If we don’t meet the customers’ needs quickly, everything else becomes unimportant.

Printing businesses may also find that having a contingency plan in place is required by some customers before they can enter into a contract or place an order with the company. DMAP certificates have been used to fulfill this requirement, at no cost to Association members.

Participants in the DMAP program are asked to complete an Equipment Inventory and sign a Confidentiality and Non-Compete Agreement. Participants agree that in the event the Association calls them on behalf of another member needing assistance, the participant will respond favorably by offering to perform the services needed in a confidential manner subject to the following guidelines:

• Any relationship with the customer will be disclosed at the beginning of discussion between the firm outsourcing the work and the firm performing the work. This disclosure includes having the customer on a prospective call list.
• All discussions and outsourcing of the work will be strictly confidential and be conducted under the highest ethical standards.
• The printer or graphic arts firm performing the work agrees not to contact the customer or solicit work from the customer for a period of one year.
• The work will be performed at reasonable trade prices, which are mutually agreed upon between the firm outsourcing the work and the firm performing the work.

We also have a Disaster Planning Mutual Assistance Guide to assist with planning your company’s course of action should you experience a business interruption. Planning and preparation will help smooth your journey through any potential adversity.

To learn more about the DMAP program, contact your BDD or the GMA office at 614.794.2300.