Fire Prevention

Fire prevention is very important, and possible risks need to be identified before they become a danger.  Businesses and buildings put a lot of work into fire prevention and employees need to ensure they follow these policies, as well as report any possible risks they think may be an issue. Fire risk assessments should be carried out in all areas to make sure that any possible hazards can be dealt with and risks minimised. Electrical equipment has to be correctly and regularly tested and managed to avoid risk and sockets should not be overloaded, in terms of both the number of appliances plugged in and their required voltage.  Once all equipment has been tested, it should also be correctly certified, which will ensure the risk of fires breaking out from electrical equipment is kept to a minimum. Keep a list of every piece of electrical equipment in the workplace and note down the date when each need to be retested.

If you are working with any flammable chemicals or any which, when mixed with others become flammable or could even ignite themselves, you must make sure that they are handled and stored safely and correctly. Always read the label and follow the instructions. You can also look at the Safety Data Sheet of the chemical, which will highlight any of the potential risks, as well as what to do if things go wrong. High-risk areas such as kitchens or factories need to have different policies. Places like these may have ovens, microwaves or furnaces, all of which present a highly increased fire risk, so again ensure staff are trained in using them. Remember that preventing a fire is always better than dealing with a fire, so make sure to minimise the risk to the best of your ability.