Use these commercial fire safety tips to protect your business

Whether you run a small or large business, it’s crucial you protect your organisation from fire damage. Naked flames can travel through buildings in minutes causing extensive destruction along the way, so here are five fire safety tips to help prevent a disaster. 

1. Invest in fire safety doors 

If a fire does break out at your place of work, containing it is vital. The more it spreads, the more people are likely to be hurt and property damaged, which is why it’s a good idea to invest in steel fire safety doors, from the likes of https://securitydirectuk.com. These offer fire resistance for up to six hours and have been put through rigorous testing to ensure they’re fit for purpose. These can, quite literally, save lives and are well worth looking into.

2. Have all electrical equipment checked

According to the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER), all work-related appliances and electrical devices must be maintained in a safe condition and inspected by a qualified professional regularly to ensure they’re correctly installed. Electrical products that are damaged, faulty or not fit for purpose can all be a fire hazard, so you must follow these guidelines strictly to avoid putting people in danger. 

3. Make the most of fire safety signs

The Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996 require employers to provide safety signs whenever there is a risk that cannot be avoided or controlled by other means. Fire warning signs are particularly important because they will help keep your workforce safe and you should also include circular prohibition signs such as ‘no smoking’, triangular warning signs, ‘danger fire risk,’ and circular blue mandatory signs such as ‘fire door keep shut’ and ‘fire exit’ signs. 

4. Install fire alarms 

If your building lacks fire alarms – install them immediately. These can save lives and are designed to give off a loud noise whenever smoke or heat is detected. Moreover, if you already have alarms dotted through your building make sure they cover all areas (particularly in kitchens, laboratories and other rooms where fires are most likely to occur) and test them on a regular basis, as batteries often need replacing. 

5. Carry out fire safety training

Would your staff know how to react in the event of a fire? If the honest answer is no, it’s definitely time to provide some fire safety training. This should be mandatory for all employees (including new starters) and cover everything from how to behave should a fire break out to where the fire exits are located in the building. An allocated person should also be put in charge of calling the emergency services. 

Implementing specific fire safety rules and regulations will help protect your business should a fire occur. Flames destroy buildings and wipe out companies every year in the UK, so don’t get complacent as you never know when as emergency situation might arise.