As with any hazardous situation, fire emergency training is essential for maintaining a safe work environment. Emergencies do happen, and everyone involved must understand basic safety measures. More importantly, if you’re an employer, you need to know these fire safety precautions to protect your employees. This way, no one gets hurt, and everyone is prepared.
Keep Control Panels Accessible
It’s important to keep access to control panels or electrical sources open and clear. Do not block the panels. This can cause a safety and fire risk if items catch on fire and there are no clear paths. For example, blocked control panels can lead to an arc flash. This is when electric currents pass through the air when insulation between electric conductors is not stable to hold the voltage. Arc flashes cause serious risk at the workplace and can result in fires, burns, and heat damage.
Report and Clean Up All Hazards
It’s equally important to report and eliminate all hazards to ensure safety in any company. Clean up waste and keep combustible materials together to reduce a fire’s chance to spread. Replace any defective electrical equipment and do not overload power sockets. Ultimately, a clean workplace is essential for fire management. Also, a clean workplace makes access to emergency equipment, such as a fire extinguisher, simple.
Have an Evacuation Plan
All employees must create a fire safety plan to keep employees safe and secure in any fire-related emergency. The most obvious solution to this is to create an evacuation plan. Everyone should know all emergency exits and evacuation routes at the workplace, and employees should keep these areas clear of clutter and debris. All employees should review evacuation plans at least once every few months through fire drills. Safety plans can even be run with the help of local fire departments to ensure its effectiveness.
Keep Fire Safety Equipment in Good Condition
Naturally, all emergency safety devices should be operational and easily accessible. For fire safety, this includes smoke detectors, sprinklers, carbon monoxide alarms, and fire extinguishers. Smoke detectors should have fully charged batteries and be operational. Dust and clear the area around smoke alarms to ensure no nuisance alarms go off. Sprinkler systems should also be checked regularly. Have a local fire department check to see if your systems are up to code. Also, fire extinguishers should be mounted at an easily-accessible location on the wall, near an exit, and away from heat sources.
Manage Any Possible Risks
Employers should also reduce fire emergency risk through basic safety implementation techniques, such as keeping the workspace a no-smoking zone. Even this simple rule greatly reduces fire risk. It’s important that employees smoke outside, where cigarettes can be properly extinguished.
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