Fire Safety Tips for Your Business | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County

3/7/2019 (Permalink)

Putting out a fire

Fire Safety Tips for Your Business | SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County

When you are a business owner, there are plenty of safety factors that you must take into consideration regarding risks to your business, staff and visitors. One of those risks you need to spend some time on is planning for and working toward preventing a fire.

Top Causes of Commercial Structure Fires

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that the leading causes of structure fires in office properties from 2007–2011 were (in order):

1. Cooking equipment, 29% of fires
2. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment, 12% of fires
3. Heating equipment, 11% of fires
4. Intentional, 10% of fires
5. Smoking materials, 9% of fires
6. Exposure, 4% of fires
7. Electronic, office or entertainment equipment, 3% of fires

Three of those causes—intentional, exposure, and electrical distribution and lighting equipment—were responsible for the most property damage with 20%, 18% and 15% respectively.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that in 2007, fires and explosions accounted for 3% of all workplace fatalities.

The NFPA estimates that in more recent numbers during the period from 2007–2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 3,340 fires in office properties per year. Those fires were solely responsible for an annual average of four deaths, 44 injuries and $112 million in direct property damage.

How to Protect Your Business

So what are some of the many steps you can take to protect your business from the risk of fires? By focusing on fire risk assessment, fire prevention and staff education, you will be working to reduce the chance of a fire breaking out.

First, you must assess the risk of fire hazards. In some areas, the local government may even offer a visit from a fire marshal to help identify these risks and provide guidance on your fire prevention plan.

You’ll want to make sure that the right fire protection equipment is in place. This includes an automatic sprinkler system, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers on each floor.

Finally, you must provide for the safety of your employees. By creating a fire plan and regularly reviewing it with your staff, you’ll be taking steps to ensure everyone knows what to do in the case of a fire. Conduct fire drills at least once a year to keep the fire safety protocol fresh, and take time to review evacuation plans and where the first-aid kits are.

Despite best efforts with fire prevention and safety tips, the worst could always happen at your business. If a fire has damaged your business, SERVPRO® of North Kenosha County is available to help make it "Like it never even happened."