It is estimated that in the United States, fires occurring in places of business cost around $932 million in property damage.
Unsurprisingly, many people who set up businesses do not want to have to deal with the hassle that can come with a fire aftermath, but it can be tricky to know where to start when implementing fire safety at your place of work.
So, here are some basic tips to implement to keep your business safe. However, if you have a workplace that regularly handles fire, such as a cafe or restaurant, you may need to look into different approaches to ensuring that your place of work is up to scratch on fire safety.
Get Fire Safety Equipment
The first thing to implement is fire safety equipment. This will range from fire extinguishers, all the way to fire action signs from seton.co.uk.
If your place of work handles chemicals, you will want to make sure that the fire extinguishers you have to hand are adapted to manage a potential fire breaking out that is chemically based. You also want to ensure that your place of work has fire safety doors, as well as CCTV and carbon monoxide detectors.
Create an Emergency Plan
Next on the list is an emergency plan; if a fire were to break out at your place of work, what would you and your staff do?
Working on an emergency evacuation plan for your place of work is not the average day at the office! However, you can get help from a fire alarm installer company or even the fire department. They can help you map the quickest and safest route out of your place of business, saving lives and preventing injuries.
Provide Your Staff With Safety Training
When it comes to fire safety, prevention is always better than, well, cure.
You should aim to provide your staff who are on-site with fire safety training, as well as fire prevention training. This could mean ensuring that they check equipment regularly, ensuring that all of the wiring in your place of work is safe, and, of course, if you work in a kitchen, making sure that all of the hobs, grills, and other equipment is turned off. It’s simple, but it works!
Make Sure Your Electrics Are Safe
If you are buying a new building or renting a new building that has some rather questionable electricity sockets and outlets, you should aim to make sure that they are safe. It is worth calling an electrician, as electrical fires in places of work are one of the most common causes of fire. So, check the electrics before you start working!
Practice Keeping Your Workplace Clutter-Free
Speaking of the aforementioned escape routes being planned by the fire service, you will want to ensure that you have a clutter-free workplace. Aim to get rid of items that serve no purpose in your place of work, and ensure that they are stored off of the site in bins. This will ensure that all of these safety exits are available when needed and that they are also safe. In other words, boxes and equipment will not fall on your staff or need to be moved in the event of a fire!
