At Synergy Fire Engineering, we have more than 25 years’ industry experience and we’ve helped hundreds of business owners empower their employees with the life-saving knowledge fire safety training can have.
Could a lack of fire training in your business be risking lives?
But sadly, as BAFE SP205 Accredited Fire Risk Assessors, we also come across the most common causes of fire in the workplace time and time again.
Fire Awareness Training is not only a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 but a positive and proactive way to help your workforce to spot the most likely causes of a fire in the workplace.
How to spring clean your fire safety at work
In our experience, here are the most common causes of fire in the workplace and tips for how to prevent them:
Faulty equipment
Everything from frayed computer cables to broken kitchen appliances can possibly cause a fire in your workplace. Equipment should be regularly tested and monitored to ensure it’s up to the job and not dangerous. Most companies won’t allow you to bring equipment in from home – so check your policies before you plug anything in.
Misuse of equipment
We use a variety of electrical equipment in the workplace such as computers, printers, mobile phones and fax machines. It’s easy to overload four-way adaptor cables without realising it so we recommend always using a multi-way bar extension lead rather than a square block adaptor.
Clutter
Highly combustible materials like paper, plastic wrapping and cardboard can be a big problem in many types of office and work spaces, especially if they are allowed to build up around areas like bins and computers. You should get rid of any materials like this regularly to reduce the risk of it acting as fuel if a fire should break out.
Arson
Arson is the most common cause of fires in commercial buildings and the effects can have a devastating impact on any business. A serious fire can destroy lives as well as livelihoods so we always recommend putting deterrents in place. For example, all entrance and exit doors, windows and roller shutters should be locked and in good working order. Fencing and gates around your perimeter should be secure and strong to protect against any intruders. You should also have security lighting in place.
How to provide interesting and engaging fire safety training to employees
One of the most rewarding parts of our job is helping businesses become safer, more secure and confident that if a fire does occur – they know what to do. We’d love to help you too.
Does your business need a Fire Risk Assessment? – Contact us now on 0843 658 1310.
Matt Spivey is Managing Director of Synergy Fire Engineering, the only BAFE SP205 accredited Fire Risk Assessors in Derbyshire. A member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, Matt is highly qualified and holds a BEng (Hons) in Fire Engineering. For more information about our fire safety training and how we can help inform you and your colleagues about fire prevention, call Synergy Fire Engineering on 01629 828 881 or email [email protected].