The clocks going forward one hour in March marked the start of British Summer Time, but this time of year is also a good opportunity to set a reminder to change the batteries in your fire alarms.
Many of the fire risk assessments we carry out show that a fire alarm is never tested by the customer since it was first installed! Is that you?
Keeping your colleagues and premises safe and secure from fire is a huge part of running any business – whether you work in a huge industrial building or a small-scale office.
The Fire Safety Order 2005 says that any business with more than five employees must be equipped with the right fire safety equipment, including a working fire alarm system.
Fire alarms should be tested and documented at the same time every week with new batteries replaced twice a year – not just when it has alerted you to your burnt toast!
While this may seem like an extra chore on top of your routine day-to-day business, it's an indisputable fact that it could save lives as well as preventing extensive damage to your property.
A properly working smoke detector doubles your chance of surviving a fire by warning you about a dangerous situation before it’s too late.
Still need convincing?
In 2016, we examined smoke detection systems in high airflow environments, such as server rooms, to see how effective they were. We tested five 20-year-old smoke detectors, which had been removed during a refurbishment project. Out of the five devices, two didn’t work at all and the remaining three took at least three times as long to activate than newer devices!
This is a stark warning to double check your fire alarms and to take the advice outlined in your fire risk assessment.
So while you may have lost an hour when the clocks went forward last weekend, don't lose any more sleep worrying about fire safety in your workplace.
Do yourself a favour, check your fire safety equipment today!
Are your smoke detectors up to the job?
At Synergy Fire Engineering we have more than 20 years’ experience in the fire and security sector, working in partnership with organisations of all shapes and sizes to ensure people are safe at work. For more information about how we can help you carry out a fire risk assessment, or test your existing smoke detection equipment, please get in touch via Telephone: 0843 658 1310 or 07584 089269 or Email: [email protected].
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 call Synergy Fire Engineering on 0843 658 1310 or email [email protected].