FIRE SAFETY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

Owning, operating or managing a public sector business means maintaining impeccable safety standards is customary.

You are providing a necessary service to your citizens and they would expect no less than the highest safety standards possible. Which includes fire safety.

Fire risks for public sector properties

Public sector businesses are varied, from health care services, law enforcement, education, to infrastructure etc. And with such a variety of different working environments comes different fire risks. However, the most common ones are:

Arson

Unfortunately, arson attacks at public sector businesses are quite common. Reasons for these deliberate fires includes; someone trying to make a statement, someone with a grudge, troublemakers playing around and so on.

Because of this, your business should think about how easily a fire could be started inside or outside of your premises, whether or not you think you are a target.

Electrical Appliances

With the public sector having diverse working environments, different electrical appliances will be found in each separate business. And, by serving the public, these electrical appliances are likely to be in large numbers.

For example, a dental practice has many tools and equipment that require electricity. If these are used incorrectly or if they are faulty, this could cause a fire hazard.

Preventing fire hazards

Ensuring that your staff and visitors are safe in your premises at all times is essential.

Providing a safe environment for your staff to work in and your visitors to be at can be made easier with some fire safety prevention methods.

Fire risk assessment

Having a fire risk assessment carried out is vital in preventing the risks of a fire. A trained professional should carry out the fire risk assessment to identify any fire hazards and risks as well as any weaknesses in the property.

This allows you to make any necessary changes to the environment, thus reducing the risks of a fire.

Fire safety equipment

Having fire safety equipment is essential in the event of a fire. For public sector buildings, common fire safety equipment includes:

• Fire alarms; to alert everyone in your premises (staff and visitors) of a fire
• Fire extinguishers; to put out the fire safely if possible
• Fire doors; to reduce the spread of fire by keeping the fire contained/separated from other rooms (and other fire hazards)

Fire safety training

With various different fire hazards present in public sector buildings, there are different fire prevention methods to suit your environment.

You or your staff may not know what the best practices are for your particular public sector business, and that is a problem.

Fire safety training will allow you and your employees to reduce the fire risks in the first place, as well as what fire safety equipment should be used and how to evacuate visitors in your premises safely and efficiently.

Keep your public sector establishment fire-safe

Running a public sector businesses often means taking care of a large number of visitors, so ensuring that your premises are fire-safe to the highest of standards is vital.

If you would like to explore options about fire safety in public sector buildings and see how we can help, contact us here or take a look at our Products & Services.