Fire Safety
Fire Safety is a key component of health and safety for you and your business. ProActive Health and Safety provide you with Fire Safety guidance, products, systems and training. Call us now on 0161 935 8282 to see how we can help protect your business and employees.
Thu, 09/18/2008 - 16:30 — ProActive Healt...
Fire safety is something every company must be concerned with. Whether the building may catch fire due to issues in the electrical system or due to some other factor fire is one of the more common issues in health and safety. As a result of the fire risks that apply to a business it is imperative all businesses and companies are under the fire safety regulations as described by the HMG and HSE.
The health safety regulations state that all companies must have at least one fire extinguisher. However, the size of the building will state the true amount you need to have. Most fire safety rules require a Class A fire extinguisher because that is the usual fire risk. A Class A fire is typically is the least volatile when you consider the Class B or others in which chemicals are involved. Class A would be an electrical fire, fire due to matches, or other issues that doesn’t involve any type of chemical.
According to the HSE and HMG for the Class A fire a business would need one fire extinguisher approximately every 200 metres squared. This means you need at least 2 fire extinguishers per floor of a building. A very good rule would be that no person in the building should have to travel more than 30 metres to reach a fire extinguisher.
For more information regarding the amount of fire extinguishers needed you can refer to BS 5306-8. You may also speak with ProActive regarding the fire risk assessment. ProActive has health and safety consultants to confer with you regarding all aspects of health and safety regulations, including fire safety. These consultants are able to answer any questions you have regarding the amount of fire extinguishers your company, factory, or office building may need. The health safety consultants can also help you set up a risk management plan for fire safety to ensure all employees and visitors get out of the building in case an accident occurs.
Sun, 09/14/2008 - 20:22 — ProActive Healt...
There are health and safety regulations for Fire Extinguishers that you need to know when you own a business or manage one. The current fire code is the Regulatory Reform Order 2005. It states that all fire extinguishers must be in good repair and working order. In fact there is a health and safety inspector or fire marshal that will inspect each fire extinguisher you have on the job at least once a year. They must do this according to the health safety regulations.
Depending on the size of your company you may need a couple of fire extinguishers or more than 20. You also have different classes of fire extinguishers. You have the Class A in which you have wood, paper, and cloth materials that will need to be put out. Then you have the Class B which is foam for liquids and chemicals that might be at your shop. You must have the appropriate fire extinguisher for the job that will be at hand.
There are numerous types of fire that could occur, and as long as you are offering preventative tools for the spreading of a fire you will be covered. However, there are the health and safety regulations that need to be considered. As we mentioned the size of your business, type of business, and the location will determine your needs.
You will need an employee that knows what your fire safety regulations are. If you do not have one working for your business you have two options. You can hire a full time employee for the health and safety regulations or a person that will work with you on an as needed basis. ProActive health and safety consultants will be able to work in both capacities. Since they are consultants you may find they are trained for the needs at hand. By acting now you can assure yourself and your staff that the appropriate fire extinguishers are at your business or company.
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 18:06 — ProActive Healt...
Fire safety is one of the things a business needs to concern themselves with under the health and safety regulations set up by the government. The fire safety regulations will differ little from business to business. A hotel, for example, may need to have more fire extinguishers visible and a sprinkler system in the rooms and halls than a small office building. However, this doesn’t mean that the regulations regarding how fire should be handled is different.
All companies need to offer fire safety protection plans. These plans will have several escape routes for the employees and others in the building to follow in case of an emergency. Depending on the type of fire, personnel may be elected to help use the fire extinguishers to put it out. This would be for a small fire that is easily handled. Most regulations require that the health and safety of employees is answered first, which means evacuation regardless of the fire size.
There is often one person such as the executive officer of the building to make sure everyone has gotten out if possible. The fire safety regulations and protocol are not always known to employees or even the owner when a business is first started.
If you need help to ensure that you are within the health and safety regulations, there are consultants and fire marshals that will help train the necessary employees in the regulations and protocol. In fact they can train every employee that works for you regarding your risk management plan in case of an emergency such as fire.
As an owner or manager it is your responsibility to ensure the knowledge is available and given to employees to ensure optimal safety and low risk. Some work environments offer less risk to accident, injury or fire, but you should still take it very seriously.
