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Workplace
Safety
 Fire occur less frequently
at work that in the home.
Depending when the building
was built, it may have
certain features that make
it less prone to catch on
fire or reduce the damage a
fire can cause. BUT, fires
still occur despite these
features. You should be
aware of common hazards
that cause these fires.
Your actions and diligence
to prevent a fire can save
a business and the economic
livelihood of all that work
with you. Fire Safety is
everybody's responsibility.
Most workplace fires occur
when people let their guard
down and or become
complacent.
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Do you know how to get
out of the building in
an emergency? Know the
exits in the area you
are, regardless if it
is your assigned area
or not.
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Keep doors, stairs and
stairways, aisles and
exits clear of
obstruction. Do not
block open exit doors.
Some exit doors are
designed to keep fires
from spreading as well
as give you a way out.
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Keep a clean and safe
work area by putting
things away after you
are finished with them.
Dispose of trash on a
daily basis and dispose
of it properly.
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Always wear protective
safety gear or clothing
when working in areas
that are hazardous.
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Learn what to do in an
emergency. Does your
business have an
emergency evacuation
plan? Do you have an
accountability system
to see that everyone
got out of the building
when it needed to be
evacuated. This
information is of the
highest priority to
firefighters responding
to your business.
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Do you have a first aid
kit and know how to use
it? Do you know what to
do in the event of a
tornado?
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Does your business have
a smoke detector? Is it
operational? Is it
battery powered or
wired directly to the
building? Working smoke
detectors, and
fully charged fire
extinguishers should be
maintained and ready
for use. Most current
codes require these as
minimum protection
devices. In certain
other types of
businesses fire alarms,
automatic fire
sprinklers systems or
fire suppression
systems are required.
Like everything
mechanical, these items
need to be service
annually to ensure
their readiness.
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Is the building
properly marked with
the street number,
building number. Fire
Codes require a minimum
letter size of 6 inches
tall, in a contrasting
color of the building.
Think, if you were
having a heart attack
at work, you would want
the emergency workers
to know how to find
you. They can't if the
building is not
properly marked.
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Certain businesses are
required under the
Federal Right to Know
Act and the
International Fire Code
of the chemicals
contained in that
business. A NFPA
Standard 704 "Diamond"
(Illustrated graphic at
the top of the page)
indicates what is the
worst case scenario
hazard for occupants
and firefighters
approaching a building.
Each of the colored
quadrants are rated
zero through four, with
four being the worst
hazard in each
classification. The
quadrant at the bottom
represents additional
information that is
important to
firefighters. The
illustration indicates
that no water should be
used to extinguish a
fire or attempt to
dilute it with water.
This placard does not
indicate what a
specific chemical is
that is or could be
involved during a fire
emergency. Further
information should be
available on site with
Material Safety Data
Sheets (MSDS) that
explain everything
about specific
chemicals / products,
how they are packaged
and what to do in case
of an emergency
Learn your businesses
emergency procedures. If
you need help developing
them, contact your local
fire station. They would be
happy to help.
Disaster Plans
After a major disaster,
many small business's do not
reopen because they were
unprepared to deal with the
impact on their human
resources, physical
resources and the
continuity of continuing
business while repairs are
started. Business owners,
start making your plans
now. Employees, ask to read
your employers plan. Offer
your assistance to put one
together if none exists or
help update the current
one. Here are some
suggestions you may want to
consider when dealing with
a business disaster plan.
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Keep phone lists of
your key personnel and
customers with you and
provide copies to key
staff members.
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Frequently back up
computer files. Keep
computer back up files
in a safe place.
Consider storing them
off site. Use surge
protectors and battery
back up devices for
sensitive equipment.
These devices help
prevent computer
crashes in the event of
a power failure.
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Have a remote telephone
number for employees to
receive information
through an automated
voice mail system.
Provide the number to
all employees.
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Arrange for call
forwarding for your
main business lines. If
you can not get to the
office, you can
remotely program the
lines to ring
elsewhere.
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Identify a trusted
employee that can
respond quickly to the
business in case of an
emergency. Give keys
and alarm codes to that
trusted employee for
emergency personnel
that can quickly open
access to the
buildings.
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Install emergency
lights and exit lights
that turn on when the
power fails.
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Purchase a NOAA weather
alert radio with a tone
alert. These devices
are activated by the
National Weather
Service to warn
listeners of watches,
warnings and steps to
take during
emergencies. These
alert to more than just
weather information.
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Stock a minimum supply
of materials and
equipment you would
need for business
continuity.
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Contact your insurance
agent to see what
hazards your policy
will cover as well as
insurance on loss of
revenue while your
business is not
operating due to the
disaster. Ask about
what special
precautions you can
take to lessen your
loss should a disaster
occur.
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Establish a designated
employee to be a safety
coordinator. Everyone
should be trained on
what to do if a
disaster occurs and how
to prepare for it.
Consider emergency
first aid and fire
extinguisher training
for everyone. Practice
evacuation drills and
train on the entire
emergency plan. The
plan should be reviewed
on a regular basis due
to changes in personnel
and business practices.
The safety coordinator
could be the one to do
this. Another task that
is equally important is
to do routine safety
inspections. Your local
fire department most
likely will do routine
fire code inspections.
That would be a good
time to coordinate a
total safety
inspection. Give them a
call and schedule an
inspection.
Here are some of the
hazards that you should pay
attention to. Please refer
to
home exits,
fire extinguisher use,
smoke
detector maintenance and
installation pages on
this web site. Remember it
is better to prevent a fire
than to put one out.
Smoking - Obey all
No Smoking signs. They are
there for a reason beyond
the environmental smoke.
Smoke on designated areas
and dispose of butts and
ashes properly. Make sure
that there are no hot
embers before dumping them
into a trash receptacle.
Never leave burning
cigarettes or cigars
unattended in ashtrays or
on table edges. Poor habits
of handling smoking
materials account for 25%
of all fires.
Electrical equipment-
Regularly inspect all
electrical cords for worn
insulation, cracks or bends
in the wiring. Look at the
plug to make sure it is not
damaged. Do this every time
you plug a cord in. Repair
it or replace it if you
think it might be damaged.
use the proper guage wiring
for the appliance being
used. Extension cords are
often the culprit of fires
starting. A good rule of
thumb is to limit an
extension cord use to one
appliance for a short term
use and to make sure that
the wiring is the same as
or bigger than the
appliance cord. Smaller
cords will over heat, melt
the plastic or rubber
insulation and cause the
cord to short circuit.
Never over load the circuit
in a room. Identify your
circuits in any given room
or space. Mark the circuit
panel box label
accordingly. Then look at
how many amps those
appliances on that circuit
draw. If they were all on
and were higher than the
circuit breaker is rated
for, the circuit breaker
will trip. The circuit
breaker is an important
safety device. Do not try
to defeat its purpose by
taping the breaker switch
in the open position. This
will cause a fire. If your
circuit is overloaded,
contact an electrician to
see about increasing the
size of the breaker to
accommodate more amperage.
While you are looking at
your appliances, look for
maintenance defects in the
equipment such as
overheated motors,
flickering lights, faulty
switches or heating
elements.
Flammable liquids and
chemicals - Always read
the labels on chemical
containers and use them
only for their intended
use. Do not use alcohol,
gasoline or other flammable
or combustible liquids as
cleaning agents. Make sure
that they have tight
fitting lids, stored in
their original, labeled
container or container
rated for that chemical.
Make sure that these
chemicals are stored in a
safe place, away from
direct sunlight, direct
heat sources. Use proper
handling equipment and
clothing rated for that
chemical. Some chemicals
will be irritating to the
skin. Some may cause rashes
and may even blister your
skin without proper
protection. Use eye
protection when
transferring liquids from
the container to equipment
tank. Make sure that the
equipment you are filling,
such as gasoline, is not
hot and is not running.
Gasoline vapors are heavier
than air. They can travel
across distances
undetected. If there is an
open spark or flame such as
a gas water heater, the
vapors can ignite and flash
all the way back to the
source.
     
Sparks and friction.
Watch for overheated parts,
beyond the motors
themselves. poorly
maintained, misaligned or
broken machine parts will
cause heat to build up
until it causes a fire.
Arcing electrical equipment
is dangerous. Call for help
right away. Be careful when
cutting or welding. These
types of operations will
cause sparks. Do so with
caution, removing anything
combustible that can catch
on fire. Be special
attention to the clothing
you are wearing while
operating cutters and
welders. Stray sparks could
ignite your clothes on
fire.
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