Weekly Fire Tips Every Business Should be Following
If you own, manage or run a business, it’s vital that you have appropriate commercial fire safety protocols in place.
A fire is one of the biggest risks to any business or commercial organisation. And without the correct mitigations in place, a blaze can cause immense destruction to your property and put you and your employees’ lives at risk.
In this article, the Millennium Fire Protection team will provide you with fire safety in the workplace tips that can be carried out on a weekly basis to ensure your staff and property are kept safe at all times.
Check escape routes
A well-thought-out escape plan is a key part of any commercial fire safety procedure, and it’s important that it’s reviewed regularly to ensure a safe and smooth evacuation for everyone on the premises.
Day-to-day business activities can mean that your well-planned evacuation plan faces problems, especially if the route is also used on a daily basis for your business’ comings and goings.
Perhaps someone has placed boxes in front of a fire door or maybe a corridor that leads to an escape route is being used for storage. Whatever the case, it’s important to check these routes regularly and clear any obstructions.
Check access to fire extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are among the most crucial pieces of firefighting equipment. It is a legal obligation to have appropriate fire safety equipment in place, including fire extinguishers.
With this in mind, as part of your weekly fire checks, you should always check accessibility to your fire extinguishers. There’s no point in having them if people cannot use them when they’re needed, so you need to ensure they’re visible and available to use if an emergency occurs.
You should also check that no damage has been sustained by your units, and with arrangements to have them replaced if necessary.
At Millennium Fire Protection, our team can provide you with a whole host of other fire safety tips for fire extinguishers, including what type is most suitable for your organisation and how to correctly operate them.
Make sure fire doors are not blocked
Fire doors are a great fire-stopping device and also provide people with escape routes should they need them.
However, imagine the horror of getting to a fire door in an emergency situation and discovering it is blocked or even locked. Regularly checking your fire doors will stop this situation from arising.
Remember, fire doors are great at containing fires, but only if they’re closed. They shouldn’t be propped or wedged open for any reason.
Ensure equipment is not damaged
Along with fire extinguishers, which we’ve already mentioned, there is a variety of other fire safety equipment that businesses often choose to have installed. These can include things such as sprinklers, emergency lighting and fire blankets.
In an emergency, it’s important to know that these things will work. So, weekly inspections of your equipment are necessary to ensure they remain in good working order when you need them most.
Test alarms
Fire alarms are vital to the safety of every organisation, alerting people to the presence of a fire.
Early detection of a fire is the best way to prevent potential injury, loss of life and destruction to your property, so it’s vital your alarms are always working correctly.
On a weekly basis, it’s a good idea to do a quick test of your alarms to check they’re working properly. This is in addition to regular drills that you should also be conducting to make sure your staff know what to do in an emergency.
Who is responsible for fire safety in the workplace?
According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, it is the responsibility of the individual or individuals who own, manage or operate a business to ensure its fire safety.
This means things such as equipment, maintenance and escape plans are down to the business owner. If there are no appropriate fire safety mitigations in place, the business owner could face legal action, such as a hefty fine, or even a prison sentence.
Here at Millennium Fire Protection, we provide businesses in Harrow, Ealing, Watford and the surrounding areas with a whole host of commercial fire safety services. This includes fire safety training, equipment, risk assessments and much more. To find out how we can help you, get in touch with our team today.