Preventing Fire Hazards and Fire Damage in the Workplace
Dealing with a fire can be a traumatic experience whether it’s in your home or in your place of work. Workplace fires can be just as frightening dealing with potential injuries, loss of property or files, and loss of productivity or operational hours. If a fire is severe enough, it could lead to a company needing to shut down for a while. The recovery and restoration process after dealing with fire damage in the workplace can be difficult for the company, their employees, and their customers. That is why it’s important to be educated on preventing fire hazards and fire damage in the workplace.
What are common workplace hazards to watch out for?
Electrical Wiring Issues
Electrical wiring issues can include overloading power strips or outlets and using old, worn out, or frayed wires. Other common electrical issues that could cause fire damage at work include poor insulation of wires, using the incorrect wire sizes, and using exposed wires.
Kitchen Fires
If there is a commercial kitchen in your workplace such as restaurants, hotels, or event centers, it’s possible for a kitchen fire to occur. It’s important to be aware of cooking appliances and flammable materials. Read more about preventing fires in commercial kitchens.
Space Heaters and Other Heating Equipment
Space heaters and other heaters are common in cold offices, especially during the winter months. However, if not used with caution, they can lead to fire damage in the workplace. Read more about our space heater safety tips to avoid a fire hazard.
Tips for Preventing Fire Damage in the Workplace
- Make sure all smoke alarms and fire sprinkler systems are installed and working properly.
- Create a fire escape plan for the entire building, educate all staff on the plan, and decide on a safe meeting place after you have escaped.
- Provide training to all staff on exit locations, fire escape plans, and where the fire protection equipment is located.
- Conduct regular emergency drills to practice your fire escape plans.
- Maintain clear walkways in the office to provide a safe exit.
- Call 911 immediately if a fire breaks out.
- Never use an elevator during a fire.
- Walk safely down the stairs during a fire, never run.
- Keep all flammable materials away from any heat source.
- Organize the office frequently ensuring that you do not have a cluttered mess. Clutter, especially paper, can help a fire to spread faster.
- Assign a designated outdoor smoking area and make sure staff properly dispose of their cigarettes when they are finished.
Finding Fire Damage Restoration Professionals in Albany, NY
Hiring fire damage restoration professionals is the key to addressing fire damage and getting your workplace put back together quickly and efficiently. The team assesses the fire damage and creates a restoration plan that covers you, your business, and your employees from point A to point Z.
Professional Fire Restoration should be the first call you make after experiencing any kind of fire damage in the workplace. We have over 35+ years of experience of turning crisis into calm. We’re here to help you along your path to starting new. Contact us today so we can help restore the fire damage in your workplace and repair it to what it was or make it even better.