4 Tips to Protect Your Office from Fires
Fires can spark in the office from many sources and spread quickly through closed spaces filled with all the flammable things that offices tend to have in abundance, such as paper and electronics. While no one wants to think about an office fire, taking some time to consider basic precautions can help to protect your employees and business should the worst occur.
Moreover, adhering to specific protocols is regulated in most countries, meaning ignoring them is not an option. In this post, we’ll outline four tips that office managers can implement to help prevent fires and limit damage if one does break out.
Conduct Regular Safety Inspections
Conducting safety inspections on a regular basis is one of the most important steps any office can take to protect against the constant risk of fire. While fire codes and equipment like extinguishers and alarms provide a baseline of fire safety, conditions in any workplace can shift over time in ways that may introduce new risks. Regular inspections, whether monthly quality or yearly, allow managers to identify potential hazards before they can cause problems.
Catching minor issues before they become big ones is crucial in preventing accidental fires. Inspections also provide an opportunity to confirm that fire protection devices like sprinklers and smoke detectors are in good working order. Identifying maintenance needs early avoids crucial safeguards failing if and when a fire does break out.
Keep Fire Exits Clear At All Times
While your safety inspections, as mentioned in the previous section, should cover the rest of the points in this post, it’s worth exploring them in detail so you know what to expect. One vital step any office can take is keeping emergency exits completely clear and accessible at all times. When a fire breaks out, every second counts in evacuating the building.
Blocked or locked exits can potentially cost precious time in a crisis and even put lives unnecessarily at risk. Offices must maintain strict policies where nothing is ever stored, even temporarily, near or in front of any fire doors or evacuation routes. This includes avoiding the all-too-common temptation to use exit corridors for storage.
Employees also need training to understand exits must never be obstructed. It’s equally important for managers to monitor for any objects, furniture, or other tripping hazards near exits that could hinder a swift evacuation. Moreover, proper signage for designated exits and clear and well-lit (with emergency lighting) paths leading to them are very easy yet highly effective ways to stay up to code.
Train Employees On Fire Protocols
New hires get comprehensive training on all aspects of their role on the team, including cybersecurity best practices and, potentially, how to keep sensitive company information safe. So why wouldn’t you train them in something that could save their lives and those of their fellow colleagues?
No safety plan is complete without properly training all employees on procedures and safeguards. In the crucial first minutes of a fire, much depends on instinctive, informed reactions from staff until first responders arrive.
Employees should be walked through everything from how to report a fire and the locations of fire equipment to how to clear the building safely and effectively. They must also learn how to use extinguishers and what types of fire options are best suited for them.
Practicing drills where staff file out in an orderly fashion helps ensure everyone instantly knows what to do should the worst occur. Keeping your team abreast of any system changes, like new exits or updated policies, is also key since these events can change over time as your office space evolves.
Make Sure (The Right) Fire Extinguishers Are Readily Available
No office fire protection plan is complete without ensuring the proper type and number of fire extinguishers are easily accessible should flames break out. Having the right extinguishing equipment promptly available could make the difference in safely containing a small blaze before firefighters arrive.
Managers must identify fire risks in their space and then equip accordingly with extinguishers rated for common types of fires, such as electrical, wood, paper, or liquid fires. Extinguishers also need to be placed in conspicuous locations where they face no obstructions and are no more than 75 feet apart throughout the office.
Employees should be trained to spot and know how to operate the various extinguishers immediately. Routine maintenance, like annual checkups, ensures each one remains functional, and proper signage near extinguishers also aids a quick response during the panic of an emergency. Taking steps to supply readily available, well-maintained extinguishers rated for office fire dangers is a prudent move that could help save valuable time, property, and even lives.
Safeguarding against fire is not something that anyone or any organization should take lightly. However, with a few simple procedures in place, any office can be a bastion of safety filled with staff who understand the protocol when a fire breaks out.
