What are the fire safety practices in your work setting?

It’s really important to ensure that you are following the correct fire safety practices for your workplace. Ignoring fire safety can lead to serious damage to property, buildings and of course increase the risk to people’s safety. It can be easy to ensure you are practicing safe fire habits in your work setting by following just a few simple steps.

Regardless of your work setting, whether you are in an office, factory, warehouse, supermarket or kitchen, fire safety should still be regarded highly. Of course, different environments pose different fire hazards but, knowing what to do for your work setting means that the risk of a fire occurring is drastically diminished.

Firstly, fire safety practices in your work setting should involve having fire detection systems in place. This can be something as straight forward as installing and regularly checking all fire alarms in your building so you know that if a fire occurs, everyone will be alerted. There are a number of fire alarms and detection pieces on the market from automatic to manual and wireless to wired so it’s a good idea to do your research before deciding which option is best for you.

The next step to take would be to create an evacuation plan. This would involve writing a plan to share with all employees that outlines where the exit routes are, outside meeting points as well as general rules to follow should a fire occur, such as leaving all belongings.

With this, you should also create easily accessible fire escape routes that everyone in the building can access. They should always be kept clear and signposted well so that in an emergency, every body knows how and where to exit the building.

When considering safe fire practices in your work setting, it is usually a good idea to appoint a ‘responsible person’. Their role would be as fire warden which would involve implementing the evacuation plan, checking fire detection systems and making sure all staff are up to date with the latest fire policies in place. As a building owner or manager, it is your responsibility for fire safety in a work setting which is why roles are often appointed as a fire warden to ensure this role is fulfilled adequately.

Holding regular fire drills and having posters up at your work also actively encourages people at your work to read and take in the fire safety measures. Providing annual training is also a great way to refresh staff members and train new employees so that everyone is up to date with the latest information.

As well as having fire safety posters hung up in your work setting, it’s also a really good idea to be equipped with fire fighting equipment. You should only ever tackle a fire if you feel it is small enough and that you can put it out but, having a fire extinguisher in your work setting could help stop the spread of flames quickly. Other piece of equipment may include fire sand and a fire blanket as examples.

When thinking about the fire safety practices in your work setting, it is really simple. All you need to do is ask yourself a few questions; have you checked your fire detection system recently? Do you have an evacuation plan in place? Are your fire exit’s clear and easily identifiable? And, have all staff received basic fire training? Making sure these steps are kept up to means that fire safety in your work setting will always be up kept and your employees can work safely.