A fire for a business can be devastating. Not only can it completely destroy your place of business, but fire easily claims people as its victims. Fire prevention plans are well worth the time and effort.
Not having a well thought out fire prevention plan can be fatal. However, having one can greatly decrease the risk of fire or injury resulting from a fire. More than 75 percent of businesses that suffer a serious fire go out of business within three years of reopening. Businesses that prepare contingency plans, train their employees for emergency situations, and call for immediate professional help with the cleanup stand a much better chance of a solid recovery.
Did you know that The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.39 requires an employer with 10 or more employees to have a fire prevention plan. I would hope that those of you who have less than 10 employees would also have a fire prevention plan. Every life matters. And fire prevention plans have proven to save lives.
So what is a fire prevention plan?
A fire prevention plan must be:
- written
- easily visible in the workplace for employees to see
A fire prevention plan should:
- include procedures for regular maintenance of all fire safety equipment
- list proper handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials
- list the type of fire safety equipment needed to control each major hazard
- list potential ignition sources
- minimize flash points for a potential fire, such as trash pileups, cardboard paper stacks, and flammable products
- check fire-detection devices and electrical equipment
- regularly maintain sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers
- only approved fire extinguishers should be used
- employees expected or anticipated to use fire extinguishers must be instructed on the hazards of fighting fire, how to properly operate the fire extinguishers available, and what procedures to follow in alerting others to the fire emergency
Need help? Give us a call 704.377.3022. Tap into our experience. We’ve been helping businesses for over 30 years.
