Office fire safety can easily be forgotten about and not seen as a potential hazard because there might not be as many obvious hazards as there would be in a kitchen for example. But the affects an office fire can have devastating impact on a business. The potential loss of data and even lives often mean that some business can never recover. Within the office environment there is usually many fire risks and if a fire was to start it would spread very quickly due to the combustibles around and if there are no fire protection systems in place this makes it even more likely to spread.
As a business you should make it your property to reduce the risk of fire. The first steps you need to take in regards to office fire safety is to identify the main fire risk associated within the environment. Below we have listed the give most common office fire safety issues we come across and what steps you can take to prevent these and to protect your business.
- Have a fire risk assessment – within most business you should by law have a fire risk assessment (check our fire risk assessment page to see if your business would need one). Having a fire risk assessment will highlight any potential fire hazards and the assessor will detail advice in how to eliminate this risk.
- All staff should receive fire training – each member of staff should know exactly what to do in the event of a fire (visit our training page to see the different types of training we offer)
- Keep fire doors closed – fire doors can only prevent fire from spreading if they are fully closed.
- Have an opening and closing procedure – use this to check that all electrics are turned off, fire doors are fully shut, escape routes are clear etc.
- Don’t allow waste paper to build up – In the event of a fire, paper won’t burn for long, but it will burn quickly, helping the fire spread and catch on material that will burn for longer, such as wooden desks, textile chairs, and carpet
- Do not overload sockets or extension leads – you should Never overload an extension lead by plugging in appliances that together will exceed the maximum current rating stated for the extension lead. This could cause the plug in the wall socket to overheat and possibly cause a fire.
If you require assistance for your fire safety needs then contact MAGG Fire Services.
