Workplace injuries are preventable with the right safety factors employed. In your workplace facility, there should be certain measures in place for you and your staff. Here is a look at fire safety best practices with 7 actionable tips.
1. Take a careful look at your workplace
All workplaces are different, set in different locations with different risks that need assessing. You need to first look at the safety requirements in your workplace and start identifying what needs to happen to keep staff safe. What training do you need to organise, and what basic procedures need to be put into action?
2. Ensure evacuation plans are in place
- Emergency Plans are a detailed document that cover the response for all emergency and abnormal situations including evacuations.
- Emergency Diagrams are the “maps” that are displayed around the site showing your position within the business facility, plus the location of emergency equipment, exits and assembly locations.
It is important for workplace fire safety, to have a clear evacuation plan so everyone knows what to do should an emergency situation arise. There should be several plans displayed in prominent locations so people can use them as a guide in an emergency. This also ensures if there are any visitors in the building when the fire alarm sounds, they can access the plans too. Every employee should have a plan and there should be some employees who train to be fire wardens. These are people who will take charge during a fire or evacuation, making sure everyone follows directions and heads to the muster point correctly. Emergency exits should always be clear and lit up. As a workforce, there should be fire drills conducted on a regular basis so people learn and remember what to do in the event of an emergency.
3. Make sure there are first aid kits and officers
As well as having first aid kits on location there should always be at least one employee that is trained in first aid on site. Particularly if the workplace is more dangerous than some like a construction site. Should an accident happen they can administer first aid. Make sure when things from the first aid box are removed that they are re-stocked, maintain the first aid box and keep records of all incidents.
4. Make sure staff have training on operating fire extinguishers
How many fire extinguishers you need on-site depends on the size of your business facility. Make sure that all employees have training on how to use a fire extinguisher. Much of your fire safety best practices involves proper training. Extinguishers also need regular servicing.
5. Train health and safety reps
Health and safety representatives are people in the workplace who have trained so they can work with you to identify health and safety concerns. WA Fire provide fire warden training Perth business owners can rely on.
6. Have workers form a health and safety committee
This is another way your staff can come together and talk about workplace concerns and what more can be done to improve the safety of your workforce.
7. Create a culture that is positive and proactive for workplace fire safety
How your employees view health and safety comes from how you view it and the culture you create. With a positive approach, you can lower incidents of accidents, lower concerns workers may have with safety and boost employee’s happiness, safety and morale. Just make sure that all of them understand there are procedures in place and how to act quickly and safely in an emergency.
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