Five Top Tips for Fire Safety in the Workplace

Ensuring your premises is safe from fire should be one of the first things you do when you set up your office, warehouse or any other type of business location. Here are our five top tips for keeping your workplace a fire-hazard free space:

Conducting a fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for all business owners or employers, as it demonstrates that reasonable and appropriate steps have been taken to identify and subsequently remove any fire hazards. Whether you run an office, a shop, a hospital, school, hotel or even a temporary business premises in a marquee, you’re expected to have a fire risk assessment completed.

As a busy employer, it may be that you don’t have the time to manage the fire safety in your building. If this is the case, it’s essential that you appoint one or more dedicated fire wardens amongst your staff, whose job it is to be the eyes and ears of fire safety checks at your premises. They should test fire alarms, check extinguishers and emergency lights and ensure that fire exits are clear at all times.

Whilst we’re on the topic of fire exits, another vital aspect of keeping your employees safe from fire hazards is ensuring that your workplace remains clean and tidy at all times. This is not only so employees can evacuate safely if necessary, but also because an area with lots of clutter (particularly clutter that includes cardboard, paper or wood) can make a fire spread dangerously quickly.

By law, it is your responsibility to install suitable means of raising an alarm if a fire were to break out. Anything you do install should be tested regularly at a fixed time and day each week so that anyone on the premises knows it’s a test rather than a genuine alarm. The necessary equipment includes, but not limited to, signage, emergency lighting, sprinklers, fire extinguishers and fire doors.

In the event of a fire, it’s crucial that everyone in the premises knows exactly what steps to take. A fire safety policy should inform all of your employees how to evacuate the building if necessary, and also how to use any hazardous equipment or machinery safely. You should lead regular training sessions for your staff to keep everyone up to date.

For reliable fire safety solutions, choose Ace Fire & Security to equip your business with everything you could possibly need to make your premises fire-safe. We offer state of the art fire alarm systems, as well as quality fire warden training and commercial fire risk assessments. To find out more, get in touch with our team today.