10 tips for fire prevention in the workplace

This should be a main concern for any business, and it can be a team effort. Although the business owner is usually the main person responsible for ensuring that their workplace is fire safe, all employees should be knowledgeable about how they can help prevent a fire in their working environment.

Here’s some tips on how to prevent a workplace fire:

1. Turn off all electrical appliances at the end of the day – it goes without saying that electrical appliances can easily overheat or malfunction, and become a huge fire hazard in the workplace. So, at the end of each day, ensure that all appliances are turned off and help prevent a disastrous situation happening overnight.
2. Don’t overload circuits – overloading electrical circuits with more than the recommended capacity can cause the fuse to blow, overheat and become a huge fire hazard.
3. Report any electrical faults – electrical faults are one of the main causes of workplace fires, so it’s important that everyone in the environment keeps a lookout for any potential electrical faults, and immediately draws attention to them. If it’s noticed that any electrical cords have been damaged, they should be replaced straight away.
4. Free up the area of any clutter – ensure that anything that may easily catch fire, including waste paper or trash, are kept to a minimum and the area is free of clutter.
5. Smoke only in designated smoking areas – and be sure that smoking materials are always extinguished and exposed of safely, and never stored.
6. Stay on top of machine maintenance – ensure that machines are always properly and regularly checked and maintained, to avoid overheating and friction sparks.
7. Keep easy access to electrical control panels – always be sure that nothing is stored directly in front of electrical control panels, to allow easy access to shut the system down in case of an emergency.
8. Be aware of chemicals – if using chemicals in the workplace, always use and store them safely according to the labels, to prevent any potential ignitions.
9. Fire extinguishers – it’s important to ensure that the workplace has the appropriate type and number of fire extinguishers to account for the size and the company, and that everyone in the area knows how to operate them properly, in case of emergency.
10. Never block sprinkler systems or smoke detectors – nothing should be in the way of these potentially life-saving appliances, as they play a very important part in the event of a fire.
11. Making sure that you have the correct fire protection strategies in place is crucial to help minimize the risk of a fire. However, it’s also important to ensure that the correct fire safety and evacuation plans have been put in place, in the unfortunate event of a fire. These include clearly marked escape routes, exits and emergency doors for a seamless evacuation.

For help with any area for Fire Management please contact the office on 01229 808320.