What You Should Know About Fire Safety in Your Place of Work

Fire keeps us warm and provides us with comfort, yet it can also be a terrifying and deadly element. Chances are good that except for your employee manual and the instance of a  fire risk assessment by your employer, you probably haven’t given much thought to what you would do should a fire break out in your place of work. Well, if your employee handbook is long gone, then you should speak up and ask around about fire safety in your workplace. Here is the essential information with which you – and all of your coworkers – should be armed. 

Hazards 

If you know what causes fires in your workplace, then you can stop them from happening in the first place. Office dwellers should be particularly aware of hazards, such as obstructed sprinkler heads or damaged power cords; factory or manufacturing employees, depending on their environment, will have strict safety codes, especially if they are working around heavy machinery; and even teachers should be on the look-out for students putting materials too close to heaters or the Bunsen burners in labs. 

Location of Fire Extinguishers 

You might pass by your fire extinguisher every day and not notice it, but the next time you go into work, actively search for it and dedicate its location to memory. If you can’t find one, ask your superior where it is located, and make sure, first of all, that everyone is aware, and secondly, that it is accessible to all employees. 

Protocol 

A calm, collected response is probably not the norm when you encounter a fire in the workplace, so it is important to be well-drilled in the proper protocol. Running around, screaming that there is a fire is most likely the gut reaction you would have, but that will cause a serious panic and could prove to be even more dangerous than the fire itself. Make sure you know your company’s policy on acting when you discover a fire (for instance, whether or not you should immediately try to put it out yourself) and how you should alert your superiors and coworkers. 

Escape Plan 

Last, but certainly not least, your workplace should have a well-laid escape plan for everyone inside the building, with at least two routes to take you safely outdoors, duties for persons in charge of specific tasks during an escape, plus places of meeting to ensure that everyone is accounted for. Further, your employer should hold regular drills to familiarize everyone with the plan.