Management
Safety measures staff should be aware of in a business
Making a business and its workforce safe from hazards is a priority for any business owner and making sure adequate fire safety training is in place at a company can be a tough task.
Making a business and its workforce safe from hazards is a priority for any business owner and making sure adequate fire safety training is in place at a company can be a tough task.
For smaller businesses, fire training might only need to include showing new staff where the fire exits are and where to go if a fire alarm sounds. However, on larger premises, such as a supermarket, or somewhere with high staff turnover and varied shift patterns, organising effective fire safety training needs quality planning and preparation.
Training should be based on the particular features of a specific building and should take into account the findings of any fire risk assessments carried out, explain in detail emergency procedures, take account of work activity and explain staff duties and be easily understandable. All of this needs to be regularly tested by fire drills.
All staff fire training should involve educating them on what to do upon discovering a fire and how to raise the alarm. They will also need to know what to do should they hear the alarm along with how to make customers and other members of the public aware of the situation when the alarm sounds.
They need to be able to do this is a way that isn’t going to cause panic or a rush that could lead to people being needlessly injured. Things that staff may be asked to do when the alarm sounds include directing people to the emergency meeting points and showing them the best escape routes from the building.
Other important parts of the training should include the location and type of fire fighting equipment available; staffs also need to be trained on how to use these.
A great deal of damage can be avoided if a member of staff knows how to use a fire extinguisher and is able to stop a small fire before it becomes a widespread blaze.
A fire safety officer should also be appointed and be in charge of making sure all members of staff are aware of their roles should a fire break out along with how to check fire fighting equipment is working.
It is important that extinguishers are checked and tested regularly so they are usable in an emergency. Once used, even only slightly, they should be replaced with fire extinguishers from fireprotectiononline.co.uk to make sure fire fighting cover in a business is at its maximum.
These are just a few of the things you can do to make sure your business or place of work is well prepared for an emergency and that its staff are well trained to help with any eventualities that arise should a fire break out.
A good checklist to have in mind when thinking about fire training is:
- Have all staff received fire training?
- When was the last fire drill?
- Do all employees know of their tasks if there is a fire?
- Do you have a record of employee training sessions?
This brief checklist will help you keep on top of all fire training and make sure your staff, or colleagues, are fully prepared for a fire drill or the real thing.
