Fires in the office environment will cause the damage of precious and expensive equipment. Your business will also lose precious records and documents which might be unrecoverable. In addition, if a fire occurs during business hours, your employees, clients and other individuals could sustain serious injuries. Therefore, you should take some practical measures to minimise the risk of an accidental fire breaking out. You must also prepare your employees and general space in case a fire does occur. Here are some practical guidelines on fire prevention and preparedness.
Know and Eliminate the Hazards
The most critical aspect of fire protection is prevention. In general, most of the fires which break out in office buildings are caused by issues such as poor housekeeping and carelessness. Therefore, if you want to make your commercial space safer, you must take steps to evaluate and eliminate the avoidable fire hazards. You should improve the housekeeping practices in your office. Do not allow trash to accumulate or to be littered. Most office waste is in form of paper which increases the risk of fire. If you have hazardous materials such as fuel in your commercial space, you should ensure it is correctly stored. You should also ensure that your employees are upholding good electrical practices such as unplugging and using their terminals properly.
Install Protection Systems
You should procure some fire protection devices because fires can occur even with good prevention measures. The installation of control and suppression systems will ensure that fires will be managed before escalation. If you have a small office, you can install multiple fire extinguishers in different areas of the office for quick response. If you have a bigger commercial space with numerous fire hazards, you might need to think about installing an overhead suppression system. The right option will depend on the nature of your office, potential hazards and your budget. If you are uncertain about the correct choice, you should consult a qualified professional in the field.
Train and Practice
Finally, you should train your employees on dealing with fire emergencies. If your employees do not have any knowledge on reacting during an emergency, they will panic and react to the confusion. By training your employees and providing them with a plan, they will know how to respond. Therefore, there will be minimal injuries caused because of panic. You should ensure that drills and refresher courses on fire safety are carried out on a regular basis for optimal preparedness.