Common Causes Of Office Fires Business Owners In Decatur Should Know

By Author: Ron Jackson
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Running a commercial facility in Decatur? Ensure the safety of your employees and your office by requiring them to understand and follow fire safety rules and essential fire prevention tips for your office. Continue reading for more information.

Many business offices leave themselves vulnerable to fire damage by neglecting basic fire safety guidelines. Your office in Decatur can be saved from any fire incidents from occurring if you know the common reasons of how an office fire begins and what you can do to stop them.

1. Electricity: At the workplace, a major cause of fires breaking out is the neglect and misuse of electrical wiring, fittings and equipment. If your facility has poor wiring connections, it may lead to overheating of electrical circuits. Or if you overload your wiring by using multi-point adaptors, extension cords, or unauthorized electrical appliances, you are creating a major risk for a fire. To prevent any electrical fire, you must get all the electrical circuits and equipment tested on a regular basis. If faults are found, they should be dealt with immediately at the hands of a qualified electrician ...
... for repairs. At the end of every workday, switching off all the electrical equipment as you leave the office is a great preventative measure to practice.

2. Smoking: Many high-rise fires in the United Sates originate from a stray cigarette butt, as smoking remains to be a major cause of fires in buildings. It is advisable that you must have a ‘No Smoking’ policy in your workplace. Create a separate, outdoor area of the office designated as a ‘smoking zone’. In the smoking zone, provide a number of glass or metal ashtrays along with prominently placed fire extinguishers that are easily accessible. Avoid keeping padded upholstery in the smoking zone and opt for metal furniture, as padded upholstery will absorb the smoke smell and most likely breakdown due to weathering. Install smoke alarms throughout your facility so that employees are aware and discouraged from smoking inside the building. Enforce the rule that storage areas and closets in your office are strictly off limits without proper authorization. Appoint the janitor or any other employee the task of validating that every bin in the office has no cigarette butt that are still partially lit.

3. Cafeteria: If you have a small kitchen or a cafeteria in your facility, ensure the proper protocols and fire safety rules are implemented. Meaning, you have to direct the cafeteria team to only use the specified cooking appliances for its correct purposes and not to improvise even if the situation calls for it. For instance using an actual deep-frying appliance versus a large pan to deep fry is extremely dangerous as oil can spill over causing a fire. It is imperative for the cooking staff to never to leave any cooking unattended and to keep off cloths, towels and loose fitting clothing away from the burner, as such items will catch fire easily. If you have heating appliances in your office for employees such as toasters and microwaves, place them near an open area so they do not burn cabinets, paper towels, or other items that are easily flammable.

4: Heaters: If you have portable heaters in your facility, do not place them too close to combustible furnishings, fittings or materials. Always keep paper items distanced from heaters and never allow the ventilation grilles to become obstructed or clogged. Opt for convection heaters that circulate heated liquid to heat the surrounding air, rather than radiant heaters that heat a metal core to project heat. Convection heaters are safer to use and are actually quieter, although radiant heaters may be faster, when accidentally tipped over the heated metal core will burn anything that comes into contact.

The mentioned causes of fires must be given the utmost attention and keep note of the suggestions to ensure safety of your facility. If an unfortunate event of a fire does occur even after implementing proper fire safety rules and guidelines, immediately call the fire department, your insurance provider and of course the best service providers for fire restoration Decatur has many restoration service providers and a little research will lead you to the best one for your needs.

The writer is associated with the ServiceMaster Cleaning Services, the leading provider of restoration services to homeowners and businesses in Alabama.