These Things Can Cause a Fire at Your Workplace

When fire breaks out at your workplace, the results could be devastating. You might suffer a total loss. At the least, cleanup from a fire is costly and time-consuming. During this process, you could also lose valuable employees and precious customers/clients. The aftermath can take a toll on your patience and bottom line. Who has the time or energy to put up with that sort of frustration?

Thankfully, there are ways you can notice potential fire risks and take steps toward their solutions. The process includes employee training, vigilance in fire safety, and safeguarding your organization with proper insurance.

While there’s no way to guarantee fire will never plague your place of business, practicing vigilance is the essential first step to avoiding possible pitfalls. Use these suggestions to get started:

Recognize Hazards

As you’re focused on the growth and prosperity of your business, it can be difficult to stay on top of every minute detail. Still, by being aware of potential fire issues, you put yourself and team members in the position to avoid potential fire issues.

For instance, electrical issues are a major cause of workplace fires. Ensure the electrical system at your building is up to code, and educate employees on the proper use of electrical equipment around the workplace. It’s also essential to keep flammable liquids and other combustible materials properly stored and secured at all times.

Now’s also an ideal time to review your company’s fire suppression insurance coverage. Speak with a knowledgeable insurance agent who can review your company’s policies and make important suggestions for thorough coverage.

Remedy Oversight Issues

Safety experts say most accidents can be avoided. Meeting that goal starts with educating employees and receiving their commitment to the ongoing security procedures in and around your workplace.

For example, if your company allows team members to smoke in designated areas, be sure regulations are being strictly followed, including proper disposal of incendiary items. Discourage employees from using personal heating elements (hot plates, space heaters) at their work stations.

In addition, it’s a good idea to make workers aware of other potential hazards, such as stacking books and papers in front of electrical equipment, not following handling precautions of volatile materials, and similar. You should also ensure that your business has adequate fire extinguisher insurance. This will protect you in the event of an incident.

Practice Fire Prevention Techniques

In addition to these provisions, and as mentioned, it’s invaluable to secure from team members their ongoing commitment to fire safety. For instance, in kitchens and public areas, make sure employees are properly using aerosol sprays, disinfectants, and cleaning items. Don’t allow the storage of personal items in bathrooms. Certain products contain flammable materials. Often, workers can forget these items were even stored in the first place.

Along with proper training on fire safety, you should also keep the threat of arson top of mind. While it’s uncomfortable to think that an employee or disgruntled individual might purposely attack your place of business, the fact is that this scenario can and does occur. That’s just one of the many reasons why obtaining fire protection insurance is so essential.

Secure Comprehensive Insurance Coverage

As a responsible business leader, you likely already have at least a basic fire safety plan in place. Along with clearly-marked fire exits, it makes sense to place fire extinguishers around your building, and ensure employees know how to use them if necessary. One more tool in your fire safety arsenal is comprehensive insurance. This could be the difference between being able to bounce back from a fire incident and having to close your doors for good.

Through the years, we’ve built a solid reputation as a reliable resource for a variety of insurance needs. In addition to fire protection, we also specialize in insurance for bars and taverns, church and school insurance, business insurance, and more. Contact us today to get started on a plan to safeguard your company against any variety of potential threats.