Stay Safe At Wortk
What can your average employee do to help ensure a fire doesn’t occur at their place of work? There are a myriad of things that can help prevent a workplace fire, but here are a few simple things you can do that won’t eat up time and cut into your already busy work schedule.
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Dispose of Waste
Imaging a fire does take place at your work – where is it most likely to catch and spread? If you’re thinking about the clutter going up in flames – filled trash bags, bins, or piles of flammable objects – then you’d be on target. These items are generally the first to catch flame, and they’re the jumping off point for bigger and more dangerous fires.
Make sure to keep waste and clutter to a minimum – empty bins at least once a day, and avoid piling up flammable clutter all into one corner or area.
Keep to Designated Smoking Areas
If you’re a smoker, chances are you’ve smoked in places that aren’t exactly smoker-friendly. Maybe you’ve slipped into the bathroom for a quick puff, or just stood outside in an area that’s not designed to cater to smokers.
Smoking in non-smoking areas is a real risk at the workplace, and not just because you might agitate co-workers: many workspaces aren’t designed to accommodate smoking, and smoking inside can greatly increase the risk of a workplace fire. Likewise, disposing of your cigarette butt in a normal trash can often leads to a fire, which can spread from the bin to other nearby areas. In short – be careful where you smoke.
Report Faults in Appliances and Electrical Systems
When at the work, it’s commonplace to find faulty equipment, appliances, or electrical systems – no building is perfect, after all, and the more people that are consistently using a building each day, the more likely something is to break or wear out.
It’s critical that you report malfunctioning systems as quickly as possible. We tend to write off things such as frayed wires or flickering lights, but these could be signs of bigger problems that could lead to uncontrollable fires.
Keep Up to Date on Fire Safety Training
All workplaces have some form of fire safety training, but sometimes information will change and employees won’t be alerted. Changes to fire exits, fire extinguisher placements, and more are a critical part of staying safe during a fire, and preventing a small fire from becoming a large one.
If you haven’t been updated on fire safety information within the past year, request a formal training session from your manager. Employees that value workplace safety are highly valued, and your boss may be glad you requested an update on fire safety protocols.
