Is Your Workplace Prepared for a Fire Emergency?

Workplaces are vulnerable to a wide range of threats, both to their people and to their ability to maintain business continuity. From violent weather and natural disasters to power outages and acts of violence, an organization must deal with the pressure of preparing for the unexpected and protecting its people. However, when it comes to a workplace fire incident, there are few scenarios more frightening – fires are unpredictable, life-threatening, and difficult to recover from.

The America Burn Association reports that 8% of burn injuries occur at work and fires cost U.S. businesses more than $2.3 billion in property damage each year. Additionally, electrical fires account for 22% of workplace fires, and 5 to 10 arc flash accidents occur every day in the U.S., and 16% of all oil and gas fatalities are the result of exposure to fires and explosions. Fires are among the biggest cause of casualties in the workplace but being proactive and implementing a fire plan can significantly help reduce the risk.

Fires are usually unexpected and can be devastating. Protecting a workplace from the threat of fires begins with prevention. Having a fire prevention and action plan in place can provide valuable information and direction regarding the procedures to follow in case of an emergency. While some situations are out of a company’s control (wildfires or arson, for example), most workplace fires can be avoided with a few extra precautions and a strong fire safety plan.

The most important thing to consider when creating a fire plan is to determine the likelihood of a fire. In industrial or construction settings, employers should evaluate their processes for electrical safety, hot work, combustibles storage and use, spray painting, industrial furnaces and ovens, combustible dusts, heat treating operations, vapors from dip tanks and similar processes, and any other activity that could involve a source of known or unexpected ignition. Hazard identification and preemptive mitigation and planning can assist work teams in ensuring that they are prepared with the right equipment and knowledge should a fire occur.

A workplace fire safety plan should clearly summarize emergency procedures for use in case of a fire, including sounding an alarm, notifying the fire department, and evacuating site personnel from the facility or site. All workers should be aware of the plan and properly trained on the procedures in place, including their respective roles and responsibilities. The time to learn safety procedures is not during an emergency.

Here are some tips from Mariner Gulf Consulting & Services to help you set your workplace fire prevention efforts on the right track.

1. Have your structure, facility, or site assessed for its unique risks to help understand how a fire might be avoided or mitigated if one does occur.
2. Designate a willing person or a consultant to handle fire safety to assist with the comprehensive oversight of your organization’s prevention and preparedness.
3. Plan and implement a regular testing and maintenance schedule for your workplace’s fire detection and suppression system.
4. Portable fire extinguishers are also an important piece of equipment that need to be properly placed per the National Fire Protection Association (NFAP) guidelines and be kept to a minimum monthly and annual inspection schedule.
5. Train workers in the use of fire extinguishers as a means of extinguishing incipient fires that may hinder evacuation from the facility or site.
6. Have a fire evacuation route posted throughout the workplace that ensures that doors are closed, and evacuation routes are clear.
7. Every organization’s fire prevention plan should be written and available to all workers to review.
8. The fire prevention plan should be reviewed annually at a minimum to ensure that any changes to the facility or site do not dictate additional fire prevention measures.
9. Some of the most important components of a comprehensive fire prevention plan are:

• Clearly articulate all major fire hazards
• Instruct employees how to properly handle and store hazardous materials
• Educate employees on potential ignition sources and their control
• Communicate to workers the ?fire protection equipment that is in present in their work areas to handle each major hazard or use to escape the facility or site safely
• Evacuation protocol should be known to all workers and, if your company has a common emergency notification protocol, it should also be familiar to all workers
• Designate muster points away from any structures or site locations where personnel can be accounted for before the fire department arrives
• Control the accumulation of flammable and combustible materials whether they are waste products or raw materials used in production processes
• Heat-producing equipment should be guarded to aid in preventing ignition of combustible materials
• Develop a list that contains the names/job titles of internal fire brigade personnel
• It should be noted that employers must inform their people of any fire hazards they could be exposed to while performing on the job.
• Employers must review the fire prevention plan with all employees.

In most cases, the threat of most workplace fires can be extinguished well before the initial spark. There are many factors that can place a facility or site at higher risk of a fire incident. Workplaces should be inspected on a regular schedule for some of the more common fire hazards, including but not limited to faulty electrical wiring/equipment, improperly stored hazardous materials, vapors or fumes from chemical use, welding near combustibles, accumulation of combustibles in fire susceptible areas, faulty equipment or equipment being left on and overheating, and human error.

The following links are good reference sources for organizations to refer to as they evaluate and build their fire prevention programs:

·????????OSHA’s Evacuation Plans and Procedures e-Tool

·????????OSHA’s Fact Sheet on Fire Safety

·????????NFPA Codes and Standards

·????????National Safety Council’s Fire Prevention and Control on Construction Sites

Do not get caught without a fire prevention plan that is current, actionable, and relies on your entire work team to execute life-saving measures under pressure should a fire occur. A comprehensive fire prevention plan outlines the procedures to follow in case of an emergency, but it gives workplace personnel confidence in what to do in the event of a fire and solidifies their knowledge of your commitment to their safety.

Need help getting started with evaluating, updating, or preparing your fire prevention plan documentation? What about a fire protection systems analysis that includes an in-depth hazard evaluation with mitigation recommendations?

Mariner Gulf & Consulting and Services has extensive experience in the evaluation of fire protection systems, building and life safety codes, and building construction. For industrial, oil and gas, manufacturing, and construction clients, we can assist with the programmatic components of evaluating potential fire producing processes, such as welding, cutting, brazing, combustible dust, process safety systems, and much more.

James Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, ASP, CSHO is the Chief Executive Officer for Mariner-Gulf Consulting & Services, Chair of the Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board, master trainer, and keynote speaker.

Contact Information:

James A. Junkin, CSP, MSP, SMS, CSHO

[email protected]

504-373-0679