Advice From Fire Alarm Companies – Fire Safety For A Business
Fire safety is quite literally a life saver. Fire Alarm Companies can assist you with your fire safety.
Whether you are starting a business or doing an audit of health and safety within your company, the processes and equipment around fire safety should always be top of the list. Not only are there strict requirements from HSE about these matters but you want to protect your employees and your business as comprehensively as possible.
Fire Alarm Companies, such as TF Installations, are here to explain the basic fire safety requirements for your business.
Recognising fire safety hazards
The first thing to do is to recognise any general fire safety hazard within the business. Fire needs three things to start – a source of ignition (heat), something that burns (fuel) and oxygen to keep the fire burning. A fire safety risk assessment is a process where you look at sources of the first two (as oxygen is all around us) within the business.
The assessment will identify all sources of ignition including naked flames, electrical equipment, lighting, heaters and even anything that gets hot or could spark. It will also look at sources of fuel which could include wood, paper, foam, loose packing materials, rubbish, rubber, plastic or even furniture.
The aim of the assessment is to identify these elements and make sure they are kept apart. It also looks at things such as avoiding accidental fires (e.g making sure heaters can’t fall over) or making sure rubbish is regularly removed from the property so it can’t be a source of fuel.
Safety measures
The fire safety risk assessment is just the first step of the process and helps identify the possible risks and what could cause a fire within the business. The rest of the process involves what to do with this information and how to minimise the chance of a fire in the business property.
Fire alarms
Fire detection systems or fire alarms are a key part of protecting your staff and business against the threat of fire. By working with professional fire alarm companies, you can have a system in place that comprehensively covers your premises and ensures that everyone gets the advanced warning they need if there is a fire.
Fire fighting equipment
The kind of fire fighting equipment you need depends on the type of business you operate but whatever you have needs to be properly installed and maintained and staff need training on how to use it.
Fire extinguishers are the most common system used and have different uses depending on their contents. For example, they can be filled with powder, water additive, carbon dioxide or foam to deal with different types of fire. You need to ensure that the kinds of extinguishers you have are appropriate for the types of fire that might occur in your business.
Fire and welding blankets are used to stop small fires in the workplace. Larger workshops or kitchens need a blanket at least 1.2m square while anywhere with flammable liquids being stored need a blanket that is at least 1.8m x 1.75m. They also need to have special quick release tabs.
Training From Fire Alarm Companies
The final crucial component in protecting your business against fire is training. Staff need regular training and drills to check everyone knows what to do in the event of a fire. You should have a clearly displayed process that tells everyone where to gather. Drills should ensure all fire doors work properly and are clear of any equipment or rubbish. Fire signs should also clearly show people where to go. And there should also be training for people within the business in the safe operation of fire fighting equipment to ensure everyone knows the basics of using it and what extinguishers to use on what types of fire to ensure they are effective.
For more information on fire alarm companies, such as TF Installations, just visit our website or get in touch. The services we offer are emergency lighting, electrical installation as well as fire alarm service and maintenance.
