Hospital experiences power shutdown due to rodent; Patients temporarily relocated - Hospital power disrupted by mouse-triggered incident; patients relocated temporarily
A mouse in North Rhine-Westphalia caused a complete power outage at a hospital in Radevormwald, leading to the evacuation of the clinic and the transfer of 50 patients to other hospitals. According to the city and the Oberbergischer Kreis, the rodent triggered a short circuit in the transformer room.
On Tuesday night, the fire alarm sounded at the clinic. Firefighters found smoke in the transformer facilities of the technical room and detected an overvoltage. Although backup power generators kept part of the hospital functioning, it was decided to evacuate the clinic during the night as restoring power was uncertain.
Approximately 30 patients scheduled for discharge on Wednesday were allowed to go home in the evening. The remaining patients were transferred to other hospitals. Once the power supply is fully restored, they will be returned.
While incidents of hospital power outages caused by rodents are uncommon, they can have significant consequences, as seen in this case. Rodents, such as mice and rats, are attracted to warm, sheltered areas like transformer rooms and can cause short circuits by chewing wires or coming into contact with live electrical components.
As a precaution, hospitals and critical facilities typically implement multiple preventive measures. These include regular inspections and pest control, sealing transformer rooms to prevent rodent access, removing food sources, installing surge protection devices, and maintaining backup power systems. These strategies are part of emergency preparedness plans in healthcare institutions that aim to ensure resilience against variousdisruptions.
- In light of the incident at the Radevormwald hospital, it might be beneficial for the community to revise its policy on pest control and consider enhancing vocational training programs for electrical technicians, to ensure they are well-versed in mitigating risks posed by medical-conditions such as rodent-induced power outages.
- This power outage at the Radevormwald hospital, incidentally, highlights the importance of health-and-wellness practices beyond medical treatment, as the failure of infrastructure can also impact patient care.
- The evacuation of the Radevormwald hospital due to a rodent-caused power outage brings to the forefront of general news the role of crime-and-justice, as increased vigilance and preventive measures, such as vocational training in pest control, could potentially lessen the likelihood of accidents like this one.
