Food Truck Generator Safety Tips

Portable electric generators provide power to almost all food trucks on the road today, but if improperly installed or operated, food truck generators can become deadly. Follow these food truck generator safety tips to keep your staff and customers safe.

Food Truck Generator Safety Tips

To keep yourself, your employees and your customers safe, The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers a helpful list of recommendations and taking the following precautions:

Contact a licensed electrician to install your food truck generator to make sure it meets all local codes. Do not connect generators directly to your mobile kitchen equipment without an appropriate transfer switch installed.
Make sure your food truck generator is properly grounded.
Inspect the generator regularly and contact the nearest authorized dealer for parts needing repair or replacement.
Do not overload the generator. A generator should be used only when necessary and only to power the essential equipment or appliances on your truck.
Never operate the generator in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. Use carbon monoxide detectors in nearby enclosed spaces to monitor levels. Generators can produce high levels of carbon monoxide very quickly, which can be deadly.
Use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to help prevent electrocutions and electrical shock injuries.
Turn off all appliances powered by the generator before shutting it down.
Keep children away from portable generators at all times.
Electricity is a powerful tool. It can also be a lethal hazard. Better safety standards have reduced electrical hazards that cause deaths, injuries and property damage. But good safety habits are still the best prevention against electrical hazards.
Do not store extra gasoline for the food truck generator in your vehicle. Outside of the fact that gas fumes can cause headaches, the vapor from gasoline is heavier than air and can travel invisibly along the floor. It could be ignited by a pilot light or other source of flame, such as an electric spark.
Always have a fully charged, approved fire extinguisher located near your food truck generator.
Before re-fueling, always turn the generator off and let it cool down.
Read the owner’s manual before you operate the generator. If you’ve lost the manual, contact the manufacturer for another copy. You can often download the manual from a manufacturer’s Web site. Keep the owner’s manual with the generator in a zip-lock bag to keep it dry.
Many generator parts are hot enough to burn you during operation. Stay away from the muffler and other hot areas.

The Bottom Line

Many festivals and locations will furnish you with power but most food trucks need to run from a generator. Food trucks are becoming a very lucrative business, and the industry is booming. Many people are finding the advantages of starting a food truck business, but one thing every food truck needs is a safe food truck generator.

Do you have any additional food truck generator tips? We’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts in the comment section or via social media. Facebook | Twitter