Small Business Fire & Safety Training

Office safety starts with employee education.

According to Maine Municipal Association Risk Management Services, 85 percent of fires in the workplace are caused by human-related mistakes. Fire prevention plans are meant to educate workers about what they can do to prevent a fire, and how they can safely exit the building when a fire occurs. With a good emergency plan and proper outfitting of the office with fire detection devices and extinguishers, you can protect your workers and your business from fire. General safety education can be combined with fire training to keep employees up-to-date on techniques for overall safety in the workplace.

Safety Codes

All businesses in the United States are subject to the standards and codes of the National Fire Prevention Association. These codes dictate how many people you can safely hold in your building, the number of exits you must have and the fire detection devices required for the size of your building. These standards also ensure that your building will be easy to navigate and exit in the case of non-fire-related emergencies. Making sure your office meets these standards is the first step in protecting your employees from danger.

Fire/Safety Captain

It is a good idea to appoint one person in you office to play the role of fire or safety captain. This person will be responsible for directing people towards exits, making use of fire extinguishers and calling 911 as soon as possible. The fire captain can also be responsible for running fire drills throughout the year to make sure everyone is familiar with emergency fire procedures, and for getting first aid and CPR training in the case of a medical emergency.

Evacuation Drills

Evacuation drills should be random and unexpected. The fire/safety captain should be responsible for planning the drills and timing employees’ egress from the building. Ideally, the amount of time it takes employees to evacuate should get shorter with each drill until you have achieved an efficient, easy evacuation process.

Exits

Employees should familiarize themselves with their nearest exits from every floor in the building. The National Fire Prevention Association dictates safety codes for commercial buildings, and you should make sure your building is compliant with these codes. There should always be at least two points of egress from every room (including hallways).

Considerations

The City of Seattle Fire Department recommends strict enforcement of fire hazard prevention in the workplace. This means that all papers should be kept neatly stacked or filed, the floors should be kept clear of debris, and all wiring and heating in the building should be regularly checked by a professional. They also recommend avoiding the use of any electrical equipment with frayed wires, such as coffee makers, microwaves or hot plates. They also have recommendations for general safety, including advising all building owners to cover floors with non-slip rubber or carpet, maintain sturdy railings for stairs and keeping a medical kit on every floor.

References

• Maine Municipal Association Risk Management Services: Best Practices Guide for Workplace Fire and Safety
• City of Seattle Fire Department: Workplace Fire Safety
• National Fire Prevention Association: Codes and Standards

Resources

• OSHA: Fire Safety