How (And Why) You Should Take Fire Safety Seriously In Your Business

You’re well aware of how dangerous fires are, yet fire safety often gets relegated to the back of your priorities when managing health and safety at work. The only possible reason is that the risk of fires seems much lower than many other H&S risks. For instance, you’ll put more effort into mitigating slip & fall injuries at work as they’re more likely to happen. 

This makes logical sense – you’re a small business owner, so you want to tackle the problems you stand a bigger chance of facing. However, you must take fire safety seriously – more so than you already do – and this post explains how and why! 

How To Take Fire Safety Seriously

Fire safety at work requires a four-pronged approach: 

• Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment – This is (arguably) the most critical part of workplace fire safety. You go around your office or workplace and pinpoint key fire hazards. This could be electrical equipment, flammable items, etc. You’ll need a professional to do this so they can judge the risk levels and help you figure out how to mitigate the problems or remove them completely. 

• Make a proper Fire Safety Plan – Following your assessment, draw up plans explaining what to do if a fire happens at work. Make a fire evacuation plan so everyone knows how to exit the building safely. Be sure the plan details everyone’s roles during an incident and how to help those with disabilities in the workplace if an evacuation is necessary. 

• Get all the right Fire Safety Equipment – Your business must be equipped with the latest fire safety equipment. This involves a fire fighting pump to supply water to sprinkler systems or hoses throughout the building. It will also include proper fire extinguishers or fire blankets in places where fires are likely to happen – like the office kitchen. Get all the right gear and ensure it’s correctly maintained at all times. 

• Run some Fire Safety Drills – Ensure everyone knows how to react to a fire by running drills and tests. Plan some fake evacuations, test your fire alarms, etc. If every employee knows what to do and how to act, the chances of something bad happening will decrease massively.

Why You Must Take Fire Safety Seriously In Your Business

Simply put, this can help you prevent unexpected business expenses. A fire can damage your business in so many ways, causing it to leak money. Equipment may be destroyed, employees can be hurt and this all comes back to you. Your business is responsible for creating a safe working environment and preventing fires from happening. One fire can lead to countless lawsuits or sanctions from the health & safety board, possibly putting you out of business forever. 

It’s very serious – so even if you don’t think a fire will ever happen, you still need the right fire safety procedures. At the very least, this proves you’ve gone above and beyond to prevent fires and have a system to preserve everyone’s safety. Even if the worst-case scenario happens, it’ll be harder to sue your business or fine it as you clearly show you’ve got all the right systems in place, and it was just bad luck!