7 Fire Safety Tips for Your Workplace

Published March 26, 2020 Tags:

Fire safety, wherever you may be is important. Afterall, fires can cause severe damage, injuries and unfortunately deaths in some serious cases. With this in mind, as an employer, as a workplace or even as a peer, it is your duty of care to ensure that the workplace is safe and prepared for any potential fire hazards.

As leading and qualified electricians, here at Peninsula Electrical Services, we are very passionate about promoting the importance of fire safety in the workplace. For any size business, a fire can be detrimental. Unfortunately, not all fires can be prevented. However, by following our tips, you’ll prevent many fire hazards in your workplace, along with having reassurance in the event of a fire by implementing an evacuation plan.

See our 7 fire safety tips for your workplace, helping to prioritise the health and safety of your business and people.

Why should you follow fire safety tips in the workplace?

If you’ve never experienced a fire, you’re very lucky. They are extremely serious and can cause lasting damage in many forms. With this in mind, as an employer or employee, a mutual duty of care is present to ensure that the workplace is protected from fire hazards and prepared for any eventualities.

From building damage and hefty costs, to injuries and deaths, fires can be life changing. What’s vital to remember is that employees come into work with trust in their workplace. They will believe that all fire safety measures are in place to protect them. Do you have fire safety measures in place for your workplace? If not, you should, prioritising your people’s health and safety in every situation. It is also a legal requirement as an employer to ensure that electrical equipment, appliances and circuits are tested and that fire evacuation plans, and emergency plans are in place.

If a fire does unfortunately occur in your workplace, without these measures, you could be prosecuted and fined, ultimately damaging your business’s reputation. Avoid any form of damage by following our fire safety tips for your workplace.

Our 7 fire safety tips

Although a large proportion of this information is common knowledge, which any business should be implementing, as electrical specialists, we have a duty of care to communicate this. For your own health and safety, we urge you to familiarise yourself with and implement our 7 fire safety tips for the workplace. We also encourage you to continue strict measures surrounding your workplace’s health and safety, especially when considering electricity.

Install robust fire alarm systems

Before even opening a workplace, installing a robust fire alarm system should be prioritised. It is a legal requirement to have an adequate number of smoke alarms in your workplace, depending on its size and the number of employees. It is also important that you show employees how to maintain the usability of fire alarms moving forward. Some may be battery operated. Therefore, consistent tests should be completed.

Prepare and communicate an emergency plan

An emergency plan should be prepared to ensure that employees know what steps to take in the event of a fire. Any information you can provide including the warning signs of a fire and your workplace’s evacuation plan should be communicated to every member of staff.

Create fire escape routes and evacuation procedures

Fire escape routes and evacuation procedures are necessary to ensure that your employees can distance themselves and move away from the hazardous area. Effective evacuation procedures will be available with your local authorities.

Select responsible fire wardens within your workplace

To ensure the smooth running of your evacuation procedures, you’ll need to select responsible individuals to act as fire wardens. These individuals should continuously be updated with changes to evacuation plans, legislations and health and safety measures for the workplace.

Familiarise yourself with fire extinguishers

There are a number of different fire extinguishers available, depending on the type of fire. Our fire safety tip is to familiarise yourself with each, along with having 1 of each type readily available and accessible in your workplace.

Have all necessary fire safety measures in place

As an employer, you have a duty of care to ensure that your workplace has all necessary fire safety measures in place. Emergency lights should be installed, guiding employees through the building to the evacuation point. Lights should highlight doors, changes of direction, staircases, firefighting equipment and fire alarms. You should also have all fire safety signs visibly placed in your workplace to guide your employees to safety through fire escapes, in the event of a fire.

Hold regular fire drills and ensure your employees are educated in workplace fire safety

Carrying our regular fire drills will help to prepare your workplace for the event of a fire. This is a necessary step to ensure that all employees understand the processes in place, along with assessing the effectiveness of your plans. All steps should be implemented to protect the health and safety of your employees, efficiently. All employees should also be educated in workplace fire safety, understand fire risks and steps to take in the event of a fire.

Alongside our fire safety tips for your workplace, we do advise that regular fire risk assessments are completed in your workplace, along with general housekeeping activities to reduce risk. From maintaining clear access to fire exits, and keeping on top of health and safety legislations, to removing flammable materials, it is a duty of care to promote a safe environment.

Contact our team today

If you require any further advice on fire safety tips for the workplace, feel free to contact our team here at Peninsula Electrical Services. We are qualified and NAPIT approved electricians, placing health and safety as the priority of our services.

We know how detrimental fires can be. With this in mind, we urge all employers or decision makers to enter their workplace and ensure that safety measures are in place. Some fires are unpreventable. Yet, you can minimise the risk by implementing fire safety procedures in your workplace.