As a business owner, you want to reduce your chance of damaging fire or smoke exposure with the right fire prevention planning.
As a business owner, you know that there are many threats to your business. Increased competition, the economy, your customers, and sometimes your employees. The list goes on and on.
One of the unspoken threats is fire. In Oregon, it seems like fire season starts earlier and lasts longer, which can have an impact on your business. Other fires start in your office and can be completely preventable.
Read these tips for fire prevention planning that can save your business.
1. What Is Likely to Cause a Fire
When looking at statistics from the National Fire Protection Association, they note that the most common causes of business fires are from cooking equipment as well as electrical and lighting equipment.
You can start there to assess what the potential hazards are. Once you know the potential hazards, you can eliminate them. For example, you may have electrical wiring in your office building that’s not grounded.
You can take action to remediate your wiring and make it safer.
This is the time to look at everything in your office and think 5 steps ahead. If there is an office kitchen, look closely at the equipment to make sure that everything is clean and functioning well.
2. Inspect Your Fire Safety Systems
The next thing you want to do is take a close look at your fire safety systems. You want to make sure that they are regularly inspected to do the hard work of
You’ll also need to check to see if your business is prepared with fire protection equipment. Do you have fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems? This is the time to assess your systems to make sure that you’re prepared in an emergency.
3. Keep the Place Clean
This may seem obvious, but it can be hard to do with a big staff. You want to make sure that desks are clean and organized and papers don’t stack up, especially around electrical equipment. Trash needs to be cleared out and not sit around.
You also want to check exits and entrances to make sure that they’re clear of any debris, just in case there’s an emergency.
If you have a food truck, then you’ll want to make sure that your cooking equipment is clean and everything is organized. You’re in a tight space and it’s easy for something to catch fire inadvertently.
4. Have a Plan Just in Case
You can do everything you can to prevent a fire at your business. Sometimes, there are things out of your control.
Having a plan in place can be a huge asset to prevent the fire from causing too much damage. You want you and your employees to know where the fire extinguishers are and which are the safest exits to use in an emergency.
Fire Prevention Planning Protects Your Business
One of the biggest threats to your business is the one you don’t really think about until it’s too late. With fire prevention planning, you can get ahead of the game and make sure that your business is in a position to prevent fires and have a plan in case of an emergency.
The most important things to do are to assess your risk, inspect your systems, and create a plan.
Do you want help preventing fires and loss in your business? Contact us today to find out how we can help.