Is your business prepared for a fire?

It’s your responsibility as business owners to care for the welfare of your staff in the workplace. That means you need to take certain measures to ensure they are safe in all instances.

Today, we’re going to talk about what you should do to prepare for a fire. They don’t happen too often anymore because most people have the routine down. However, some business owners might not have thought to be prepared for a fire, and so you will need to take our advice. When all’s said and done, a fire at your premises could cost your business thousands. It could also leave the death of a team member on your conscience.

Let’s get started on how to ensure your business is prepared for a fire…

Design an exit route plan

Before you do anything else, you need to work out how to get people outside. The last thing you need is lots of employees running around like mad people. Firstly, that could result in you leaving someone inside without knowing. It could also mean your workers put themselves in a dangerous position. That is why you must design a route for everyone to follow that takes them to a safe location. The back of your car park is usually a top choice. So long as they are more than twenty metres away from the building, they should be fine.

Run regular fire drills

Wise business owners will get their team used to evacuate the building. In most circumstances, you should be able to get everyone outside in a matter of seconds. Make sure you test that by running regular fire drills. You only need to do it every couple of months, but you shouldn’t let the workers know in advance. That way, you should notice if their natural reactions need some work. Keep running the fire drills until you are satisfied every employee knows how to leave the building quickly and safely.

Keep extinguishers on site

When a small fire starts in your premises, it doesn’t make sense to evacuate everyone and wait for the emergency services. By that time, the fire could have spread and caused even more damage. It’s much better if you can try to extinguish the flames yourself. Experts from Fire Protection Online say basic extinguishers could save millions of pounds every year. By tackling small fires fast, you can reduce the issues they cause. You’ll still need to call the Fire Brigade, but at least you won’t lose everything.

The last thing you need to do related to getting workers back inside the building. Make sure you provide everyone with an information pack that contains all the details of their escape route at the very least. Savvy business owners will also highlight when their employees can return to the office. Let them know they should never re-enter the building without your express permission. That is the best way to keep everyone safe. Also, make them understand that leaving possessions behind will help them to save precious seconds. When the worst happens, those seconds could mean the difference between life and death.

So now you know how to prepare for a fire in your workplace. Try writing your own plan and start preparing to keep your staff safe.