Business owners have a responsibility to make sure that all of their employees are safe in the workplace and this means preparing them for a fire emergency.
No one expects to have to deal with a fire at work but it is best to be prepared and to understand what to do in the event. This can be quite simple and easy to do and shouldn’t take long to understand.
How to prepare the employees?
Make sure that there is an emergency action plan for the event of a fire. This plan should contain escape route diagrams, evacuation policies and procedures, and the responsibilities of specific staff members.
Each person needs to be clear on who has what responsibility in the event of a fire. Make sure that everyone is familiar with the fire exit routes and they are clearly marked on the diagram in the action plan.
Conducting Training drills
A company should spend time training the employees to follow the action plan by doing regular fire drills
A company should spend time training the employees to follow the action plan by doing regular fire drills to simulate what should be done in the event of a fire. As well as fire drills, every employee should know the following:
- The nearest fire alarm and how to sound it
- The sound of the buildings fire alarm
- At least two exit routes from the building
Fire safety and prevention
Everyone should familiarise themselves with the layout of the building so that they can easily evacuate from any point in the building. It is also useful to get your employees to complete E-learning courses on fire safety and prevention.
This can be done online and doesn’t take too long. One should appoint fire wardens within the team to be in charge of:
- Monthly check on emergency fire lights
- Weekly fire alarm checks and drills
- Monthly fire extinguisher checks
- Regular fire route and exit checks
It is important to be ready for the event of a fire and for the employees to know what to do if disaster strikes.
