How Fire Safe is Your Office?

A Guide by Dyer Environmental

Can You Escape Via Your Fire Escapes?

It sounds like a really stupid question but trust us, this is one of the main reasons that people become stuck inside a burning building.

To make sure nothing gets in their way we recommend that you check your fire escapes once a month just to make sure that nothing is inadvertently blocking them.

What Could Cause A Fire? This is another very important point. A

lot of fires are started when no one is around and that’s why they can be so devastating. A small electrical fire could burn a whole building down if left to spread.

We recommend that you simply walk around your work area and identify any hazards and take action before they turn into a real issue.

Who’s At Risk? Identifying the correct people who are at

risk is extremely important and can save a lot of hassle if anything was to go wrong.

People who are at higher risk than your average worker include: people who are mentally, physically or visually challenged, people who are unable to react quickly and finally workers working in areas with many potential fire risks.

Have you got a plan? You need to make sure that if a fire were

to break out your employees know where to go and what to do.

It may be a good idea to time fire drills so that employees can work to improve the speed at which they leave the building

However you must be careful with this technique as employees must ensure that they continue to leave the building safely.

Do You Know Your Fire Extinguishers?

Believe it or not different fire extinguishers work best with different types of fire.

Using the wrong type of fire extinguisher on a fire could be an awful mistake and can even enrage the fire.

Take a look at this great chart by gov.uk on the next slide.

Types of Extinguisher

Are You Insured? Fires cause a huge amount of damage

whether that’s to the property or to the people inside it. In 2013-14 there were 322 fire-related deaths in the UK and 9,748 non-fatal casualties.

Last year insurers paid out £12.9 million each day, 13% of which was to fire victims. Can your business afford not to be insured?

Have You Got A Meeting Point?

By law, your business is required to have a fire meeting point so that in the unlikely event of a fire all workers have a place to get to.

Meeting points are also important as it allows the designated safety leader to carry out a simple roll call to make sure everyone got out of the building safely.

How Good is Your Alarm System?

One of the best ways to protect your building and the staff within it is to have a high quality alarm system.

A truly effective fire alarm system will be able to detect even the slightest amount of smoke or fire coming from inside your office.

This is especially helpful in rooms that aren’t frequented very often by members of staff.

Do You Have a Ventilation System?

Smoke causes 90% of fire deaths but the right technology can prevent catastrophe.

Technology provided by companies, such as Dyer Environmental, will allow smoke to leave the building whilst allowing clean air to flow in.

This type of technology is game changing and is saving lives every day.

Are Your Important Documents Safe?

Every business has documents that are extremely important to them, whether they’re digital or a hard copy.

To make sure your documents are safe make sure to take copies of them in multiple forms. Eg photocopy any important hard copies and store them on a hard drive. Vice versa also applies.

You could also invest in a specially designed fire proof cabinet which would ensure that none of your documents were damaged or lost.

Trapped In a Smoke Filled Room?

This can be a common occurrence during a fire so you should have the knowledge of what to do in case this situation ever arises.

Firstly, you should drop to the floor. As smoke rises this means the air will be cleanest on the floor.

Secondly, hold your breath as long as possible. This will reduce the amount of particulates that you breathe in.

Finally, try and breathe through some kind of material. This could be anything from a shirt to a tea towel, whatever you may have available is better than nothing.

Are You Carbon Monoxide Ready?

Caron Monoxide is named the silent killer for a reason. It’s odourless, colourless and will kill you in a matter of breathes.

The best way to stop Carbon Monoxide poisoning is the most simple. Get a dectector. They’re highly effective and relatively cheap for such a life saving bit of technology.

Created ByDyer Environmental

www.dyerenvironmental.co.uk