Your Business and Fire Safety
Johnny Cash had a problem with a ring of fire, but he should have been more concerned about the Triangle.
The structure of what can lead a spark to an inferno is simple but also deadly if badly managed in any workplace.
The experience of fire in conditions where you instinctively know you are in danger and the fire is not immediately controllable is a very scary feeling.
And that feeling activates the flight or fight response.
Well, the fight, flight or freeze response as not being able to budge can also be a response to such a dangerous stimulus.
The strange thing about being caught in a dangerous situation is that, despite the romantic notion that you will know exactly what to do when confronted with fire, your response is something that happens without your conscious participation for the most part.
So, that is where training comes in. In the hope that we can install a program into our brains which, when triggered under certain circumstances, will produce the correct reaction.
We’ve heard some stories where people cannot explain why they took x or y action during a fire but essentially put it down to past training in which they were required to participate in at workplace or in school.
Well, the first and most important step is to successfully evaluate your workplace for fire safety standards and calling on some expert help.
In the meantime you can follow these basic tips to make your workplace safer today:
- Get organized: practice good housekeeping and make sure anything that could contribute to fueling the flames is minimized and tidied away. Clutter also contributes to tripping hazards and blocking emergency exits.
- Designate smoking areas: put the foot down and limit the areas where smoking is allowed!
- Get your fire extinguishers checked and maintained regularly
- Record electrical hazards: Many fires start in this way, keeping on top of any faulty wiring is a must
- Maintenance: maintain all machinery to prevent overheating
- Test your alarms and smoke detectors: do a trial run on the regular!
- Keep your chemicals stored away properly so they cannot contribute to a blaze
- Signage: map out your emergency exits and make sure they are visible and signage is working throughout the building
- Role call: make sure the manager has a copy of people on site
- Training: get your employees trained up on fire safety, from housekeeping to the use of fire extinguisher. A vigilant, informed employee might just save the day.
Have you had a bad experience with fire? What do you recommend to other business owners, looking to protect their business from disaster?
If you would like to find out more about Ayrton’s Fire Safety Courses, follow the link here
