If power goes out during a hazardous preparation and is not restored immediately, which action should the compounder perform?

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Power loss during hazardous drug compounding means the hood’s airflow and containment are lost. Without the HEPA-filtered laminar flow, aerosols or spills can escape into the room, putting you and others at risk. The safest action is to stop what you’re doing and leave the room, closing the door to limit exposure until power is restored and the hood is functioning again under proper safety checks.

Continuing since you can still see gives a false sense of safety—visibility doesn’t guarantee containment. Waiting to resume simply after power returns (without verification) or assuming you should run the hood for a set time before resuming can overlook necessary requalification, purge, and decontamination steps that ensure the environment is safe again.