FIRE SAFETY PRECAUTION:
Fire presents a significant risk to business. It can kill or seriously injure employees or visitors and can also damage or destroy buildings, assets equipment or stock.
Therefore good fire safety practices are called for and should be followed.
- Keep your work place tidy and having a good standards of housekeeping.
- Regularly remove combustible waste and accumulated dust.
- Keeping use of flammable liquids to a minimum and closing containers when not in use.
EMERGENCY/PLANNING:
Prepare for an emergency such as fire. An emergency plan should be in existence. It should clearly explain what to do in the event of a fire emergency, describing the responsibilities of each key person and what they need to do.
Create a written evacuation procedure explaining what need to happen in event of a fire alarm being raised. I.e. location of fire alarm call point, extinguishers, exists and details of nominated persons along with their areas of responsibility.
Train your employees to ensure that each is familiar with the emergency plan and please test the arrangements in the plan regularly.
Carry out fire drills at least twice a year to ensure that the plan works and that people can follow it, correcting any problem found during the drill.
Provide methods for detecting a fire quickly and raising the alarm. Early warning systems when set off from any point, should be clearly heard throughout the premises. It should provide enough warning for people to evacuate the building quickly, calmly and safely.Provide clear instructions or notices showing people how to operate the warning system and how to respond to it.
It’s important all fire safety measures are maintained and regularly tested. You should test your fire alarms according to the NPA 72 standards.
ESACPE ROUTES:
All escape routes must be easily identifiable with no obstructions and with instructions about the means of escape displayed. Provide instructions and training for your employees on how to escape in the event of an emergency.The type and size of exits will depend on the number of people to use them in the event of an evacuation. Escape routes must be adequately illuminated and free of any obstacles.
EVACUATION OF DISABLED PEOPLE.
Any evacuation arrangement should ensure the safety of everybody in our premises.The fire risk assessment should identify groups of people at risk, taking particulars care of vulnerable groups or individuals e.g. children, the elderly and people with disabilities. Personal emergency evacuation plans (peep) where required should be tailored to the individual and should give clear explanations of evacuation procedure.
For premises where it is not known who visit, such as hotels, standard PEEPs can be created. These are procedures to assist people with disabilities. Employees should be trained on how to put PEEPs into practice in the event of an emergency.
Fire extinguishers:
Any fire to occur needs the following,
- Oxygen
- Fuel
- Heat
Different fire extinguishers will remove one of these elements to stop it.It is important when deciding ways of fighting fire to choose the right fire extinguisher for each type of fire and where to locate it. This will guarantee that they are suitable for the type of fire that could occur and of sufficient capacity for the fire risk at the premises.
Fire extinguisher should be located at obvious places close to fire hazards, and people to use them should receive training on how to use them and also ensure that they are annually serviced.