Thankfully, however, there are many steps that any organisation can take in order to minimise risks and ensure staff, property, and members of the general public are safe from fires at all times. In this article we will take a look at six great tips that your business can use to reduce the risk of a fire breaking out.
It is a requirement for businesses to carry out a fire risk assessment – and it is a legal necessity to keep the assessment up-to-date. However, there is no specific law governing how often your assessment should be updated, reviewed, or replaced. But beyond legal parameters, it is in your interested to ensure that this is carried out regularly.
There are many things to consider in a fire risk assessment, and the details here can change over time. This includes issues surrounding fire fighting equipment, emergency exits and routes, and the carrying out of fire safety training. Make sure that your assessment is regularly updated.
The best way to minimise fire risk is to get the little day-to-day things right. They might all seem like obvious things, but it can actually be very easy to begin to overlook. For example, it is essential to keep sources of ignition and flammable materials separate at all times. Even if you don’t think it’s likely that they could ignite, this is a risk that should never be taken.
Additionally, issues such as good housekeeping and avoiding accidental fires can make a huge difference to the possibility of a fire breaking out.
If you’ve never heard of the GHS, you have almost certainly seen it, without knowing what it is. GHS stands for the Globally Harmonised System, and it is a method that is used for classifying chemicals, and ensuring that they are labelled correctly. It is designed to make it easier and safer for companies to transport, store, and handle chemicals at all times.
Understanding GHS labelling is vital because chemicals can play such a major role in fires breaking out. If your team is trained to understand the different types of GHS labelling, it provides them with the information they need to minimise the risk of fires.
Remember that electrical equipment is also a major cause of fires. It is essential that you ensure that all electrics are safe. This starts at installation – and it means that you make sure that your electrical systems are (or have been) installed by competent and qualified electricians. Additionally, these systems must be regularly maintained.
It should be pointed out that sometimes portable electrical equipment gets overlooked, but this would be a major problem. Portable equipment can easily be damaged due to the issue of cables and movement. So, make sure that all of your portable devices are PAT tested, and that you visually check the equipment before each use.
You might not be aware of it, but cigarettes and smoking are still one of the major causes of fires in the workplace. Lit cigarettes seem like a small issue, but they can easily cause fires that can grow into extremely serious events. This is why it is absolutely vital that your business should designate a smoking area and enforce it with staff.
Some organisations take a lax attitude towards this, and turn a blind eye to infractions of the rules. Doing so can endanger other members of staff as well as business property.
No business likes to believe that they will have a fire on their site – but there is no value in burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best. You should ensure that your business has a proper plan in place in the event of a fire breaking out.
Perhaps even more important is ensuring that staff are provided with the appropriate training to ensure that they know what to do to prevent fires, as well as understanding what their actions should be in the event of one occurring.
When businesses take fire safety seriously, they can really help to ensure that the risk for staff and others is minimised. Following legal requirements is vital, but it is even more important to be proactive, and always take appropriate steps to make it as unlikely as possible for fires to be a problem for your organisation.
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Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
