Re-opening and fire prevention

5/11/2020 (Permalink)

As the numbers continue to decline in Coronavirus deaths and new infections, we begin to think about what life will be like opening back up to the world. Our homes and businesses have been in a state of limbo for a few months.The downtime we have had gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate and refresh our policies at work and work on projects at home that have been put off due to busy schedules.

Now is the perfect time to ensure that your business or workplace is up to date and fire-safe.  The downtime can be used to improve the safety of your business or workplace. Here are some helpful tips:

• Organize any cluttered spaces. Clean out storage rooms and closets and discard anything that is unnecessary. Clutter will help fuel a fire if one happens, it can also block necessary paths of travel during an emergency.
• Designate smoking areas and make sure they are in an area clear of any flammables. Set up proper smoking receptacles such as smoking towers or containers with sand in them to extinguish cigarettes.
• Inspect all fire extinguishers and replace any if necessary.
• Have any electrical issues inspected and corrected. Faulty wiring is a major cause of fires.
• Maintain clear paths to electrical panels in case of an emergency and the power needs to be shut off. Having clear access to these panels can prevent extensive damage to property and workers.
• Now would be a good time to perform annual sprinkler and fire alarm tests and if there are any issues have them corrected quickly.
• Make sure emergency exit plans and diagrams are up to date. Have emergency exit plans and emergency numbers posted in a high traffic area for all to see in case of an emergency.

These fire prevention steps will help maintain a safe work environment and keep you, your employees, co-workers, vendors and customers safe. If you do have the unfortunate event of a fire, contact us here at SERVPRO of White Plains and New Rochelle. We have the experience and training to get your business back to “Like it never even happened.”