A lot of workplaces have a fire safety plan in a binder somewhere. Somebody wrote it, somebody signed it, and nobody has opened it since. That isn't the same thing as a safe floor. Fire safety at work comes down to three things: a building that isn't set up to burn, people who know what to do, and equipment that works when somebody grabs it.
None of that is complicated. It just has to get done, and it has to keep getting done.
Walk the floor
Start by walking your building and looking for two things: anything that could start a fire, and anything that would feed one.
- Hallways and aisles. Boxes, carts, and pallets in a walkway feed a fire and block the way out. Keep the path to every exit clear.
- Trash and combustibles. Cardboard and trash piled against the building or near something hot is an easy start. Oily rags go in a metal can with a lid, not in a pile by the door.
- Electrical. Look for overloaded power strips, extension cords plugged into other extension cords, cords used as permanent wiring, and anything frayed or pinched in a door. When you find a problem, get it fixed instead of just writing it down.
- Flammable liquids. Gas, solvents, and paint thinner belong in a flammable storage cabinet, not on an open shelf next to the work.
- Smoking. Pick one spot outside, away from anything that burns, and keep smoking there.
- After hours. Lock the building when nobody's there. A building left open overnight is an easy target for arson.
If you run an industrial floor
Plants and shops have a few hazards an office doesn't.
Hot work, like welding, cutting, and grinding, throws sparks farther than people expect. Clear the area first, keep an extinguisher right there, and have somebody stay and watch for a while after the work stops, because a spark can smolder before it ever flames up.
Combustible dust from wood, grain, metal, or plastic settles on beams, ledges, and light fixtures. A layer of it burns, and a cloud of it stirred up into the air can explode. Keep up with the housekeeping so it doesn't build up.
Some spots, like paint booths, dip tanks, and generator rooms, need more than a handheld extinguisher. That's where a suppression system comes in. We cover those on our industrial page.
Write the plan, then practice it
A fire plan should answer a few plain questions. Who calls 911? Who makes sure everybody got out? Which way does each part of the building go, and where does everybody meet outside? Who, if anybody, is trained to use an extinguisher?
Post the evacuation map on every floor where people can see it, and post the emergency numbers by the phones people actually use. Go over the plan with new hires on their first day, and go over it again any time the floor changes. Then run a drill. A plan nobody has ever walked is just paper.
Train people on what's actually on the wall
People should know where the extinguishers are, what kind they are, and how to use them. Just as important, they should know when not to. Getting out comes first. Nobody should fight a fire unless it's small, they have the right extinguisher, and they have a clear way out behind them.
If you put extinguishers out for your people to use, federal workplace rules expect you to train them on how to use them when they start and again every year. We have the steps written up in the 3 A's. If you want people to actually do it, not just read about it, we run live-fire training on your property. Your crew puts out a real, controlled fire with the same kind of extinguisher they'd grab on the job.
Keep the equipment working
Each kind of equipment has its own schedule.
- Fire extinguishers get a monthly look and a yearly inspection and service by a trained tech. Your people can do the monthly look, or we can walk it for you.
- Exit signs and emergency lights get a 30-second test every month and a full 90-minute test once a year.
- The fire alarm system gets tested once a year.
- A kitchen hood system gets inspected and serviced every six months.
That's a lot of different dates for one building, and it's the part that slips when things get busy. We keep the due dates. You don't have to think about them.
We leave a report after every visit, so when the fire marshal asks, the paperwork is already in your hands. Your doors stay open while we inspect. Our techs are certified and licensed, and they show up in a company truck, in uniform.
If you've ever had someone come through, put a new date on everything, and leave, you might have wondered how you'd know the work actually got done. We wrote about that in what does good service really look like.
Before the fire marshal comes
For a full walk-through of what an inspector looks at, from exits and extinguishers to lights, alarm panels, and electrical rooms, see our fire marshal inspection checklist.
Call 1-800-348-9604 and tell us what's on your floor. We'll take it from there.