Understanding Business Issues

Your Industrial Shop's Fire Safety

1 October 2017 by Connie Hanson

Fires may not be your immediate concern when running.a very busy industrial scop. However, injuries and damage are to be avoided at all costs. Turn your attention to fire prevention with some of these ideas:

1. Train Staff

Prevention happens best when each staff member understands how they can avoid risky behavior. Proper training with flammable liquids, knowing where designated smoking areas are and other pointers are essential. It's also vital that people understand the best way to dispose of various flammable materials. Ensure fire safety is part of your orientation process.

2. Form a Plan

Thinking everyone knows how to get out of the shop is an easy assumption. However, in an emergency people need clear guidance; what's more, depending on the severity of a particular fire, smoke may become so thick that having one's bearings isn't as easy a task as you think today.

Forming a plan crystallizes everything for people so that they need to guess as little as possible when fires begin. Purchase large "exit" signs. Lay out exit plans and meetup spots in the manual you give to all new employees.

3. Conduct Monthly Drills

The manual is a start, but to ingrain your safety plan in everyone's heads, monthly drills are essential. You want to eliminate guesswork and enable people to do what must be done immediately. They should know how to close down their workstations and quickly leave through a nearby exit.

4. Get Multiple Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers can be literal life-savers if a fire is spotted early on. However, the proper equipment class needs to be put into action in order for the piece to be effective. This is important for industrial shops because you are likely to require multiple extinguishers such as Class B for flammable liquids, Class C for gas, Class D for metals and Class E for electrical fires.

If you're using an extinguisher that isn't right for the fire you're battling, it may not be effective at all. Ask a fire marshall or dedicated fire extinguisher services contractor to assess your shop and provide suggestions. Then, train everyone to locate and use them. Finally, ensure that expiration dates are monitored and that you're replacing equipment as necessary to ensure materials are fresh.

Your industrial shop is safer when fire safety is a priority. Talk often with managers about your fire plans and whether they are adequate for the size of your shop and the materials worked with. You can discover more about fire extinguishers here.

Share  

Search