by Haris Quintana

Workplace safety should be a high priority for any business to make sure the work environment is safe for all your staff. If you cut corners to save money, you’re telling your staff that you’re aren’t prioritizing their well-being. This could have tragic results if your business is hit by a fire. Here are ome top tips for fire safety at work. 

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1. Appoint and train a fire safety officer. If your business has fewer than 20 employees, you still need a minimum of one person who is trained in fire safety. This person ought to be someone trustworthy, who is on the premises for most of your business’s working hours. There are lots of companies in the fire safety industry that offer training for fire safety officers, covering everything they will need to know.

2. Educate your staff. After training someone as a fire safety officer, as them to work with all of your team to educate them about the right procedures that should be followed if a fire does happen. Your staff should all be trained on how to spot potential fire hazards and who they should report those hazards to, as well as on the evacuation plan. 

3. Have safety equipment in place. Fire alarms must be fitted throughout your premises and must be tested on a regular basis. Put in fire doors through the building to stop a fire from spreading. If you have a large atrium in your premises, you can hang Multi-Level Atrium Smoke Curtains which will help to stop smoke hampering visibility if people need to evacuate the building. Make sure you also have plenty of fire extinguishers throughout the building. You should have a range of different extinguishers to tackle different types of fire, with clear instructions. Consult a professional to make sure you have the right ones. 

4. Carry out regular checks. Your fire safety officer should check all your fire safety equipment on a regular basis, preferably weekly, to make sure everything works and is in good repair. This should include fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire doors. When these checks are carried out, any potential hazards should be noted, reported, and corrected immediately. 

5. Display safety signage throughout the building. Throughout your workplace, you should have clear signage displayed that relates to fire safety and procedures in the event of a fire. Fire extinguishers should have clear instructions on how to use them if a fire does break out displayed near them. Fire exits out of the building must be marked with fire exit signs which glow in the dark. Any fire doors that are not set up to close when the fire alarm sounds also need to have signs on that say, ‘Fire door: keep shut’. Assembly points must be marked clearly. Make sure any fire alarms that can be set off by an individual are clearly labelled. You should also have one or more signs in a prominent place that explains the correct evacuation procedure. Include a map of the premises nearby which shows safety equipment and assembly points.