You probably remember practicing fire drills in school but as you move into the workplace other measures can be taken to avoid accidents. For instance, there are standards put in place by Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) that outline the basics of fire safety including the causes of workplace fires, prevention practices and guidelines for evacuation.

However, according to Statistics Canada there were 247 business use/personal service fires in 2014 that cost companies millions of dollars in damages! It’s clear that there are preventative practices in place but there is no hiding the fact that unforeseen fires in the workplace can be extremely dangerous. Therefore, we have outlined four ways you can keep your workplace safe:

Accessibility

It is important to keep workplaces neat and tidy to ensure that there is full accessibility to sprinklers, firefighting equipment and emergency exits. Moreover, equipment and other materials should be properly stored and ready for use in the case of an emergency.

Precautions

It is vital to follow all recommended and required precautions to prepare for ignition in potentially explosive atmospheres. These precautions include evacuation plans, semi-annual fire safety training and proper signage. Implementing safer practices such as the use of non-sparking tools and proper static electricity control will help prevent workplace incidents!

Safe Handling

Safe handling practices are fundamental when it comes to workplace fire safety. Always read the label and the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to assess flammability and other fire hazards of substances.

It is also imperative that employees have the proper protective equipment for handling hazardous materials, access to proper waste disposal and report hazards that occur. 

Don’t forget to follow the operating procedures and established safety protocols that are in place!

Maintenance

All in all these three steps will get your establishment in the right direction for fire prevention safety, but in the long run it is essential to maintain these procedures. Check and perform maintenance on machines/tasks regularly and keep a record of this routine maintenance. In essence, following these four steps will ensure effective results in fire safety!