What Are the Most Common Causes of Office Fires?
Your workspace is supposed to be a safe, harm-free environment, especially if you work in a typical commercial office. However, due to natural faults or human error, dangers can arise in the form of a fire. If not extinguished effectively, the ramifications can be severe, and endanger life. A commercial sprinkler system is the absolute best choice for your property, protecting your staff and your building from excessive fire damage. Accidents can happen, but by identifying the common causes of office fires, you can prevent them from happening.
Having fire safety equipment in your property can help decrease the chances of a fire occurring, improving fire safety and making staff more aware of what to do in the event of a fire. Sprinkler installation can help extinguish accidental fires at the source, protecting your staff and your building from damage. When ensuring paramount safety from fire hazards, here are some common causes of fires to look out for.
Faulty Electrical Equipment
One of the most common causes of office fires is faulty electrical equipment, such as computers, microwaves and other assorted appliances. Loose wires, overloaded plug sockets and bad connections can all contribute to the chances of a fire breaking out. It’s so common because it can happen in any facility, especially where electrical appliances are used frequently. Business owners are legally required to have regular testing and approvals when it comes to electrical appliances, such as PAT testing.
When an electrical fire occurs, it’s important to act fast and evacuate as quickly as possible. Automatic sprinkler systems operate to stop the spread of fire and extinguish it efficiently, keeping the blaze localised and reducing extensive fire damage.
Lack of Resources
All offices should have a fire safety plan in place; easily accessible fire exits and escape routes, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers are recommended in order to protect yourself and your employees. However, it’s surprising how many offices forget their fire safety requirements and the provision of fire suppression systems; in the 2016/17 period, there were more than 300 workplaces fires a week, all of which could have possibly been prevented by more resources.
Commercial fire sprinkler systems and smoke alarms work together to both alert people of the presence of a fire so they can evacuate, and to extinguish the fire to save your building from the costly, devastating effects of fires. From automatic sprinklers heads to fire mist systems, there’s a perfect design out there for your property.
Inadequate Staff Training
Accidents happen, this is for certain. But accidents involving fires can be catastrophic and can lead to the loss of life. Training and educating staff on how to avoid these issues can significantly decrease the chances of a fire and can lead to a safer work environment. For example, blocking air vents of appliances that need air to cool and storing items inappropriately could cause a blaze, so it’s important to keep clued up.
Thinking back to our school days, fire drills were often conducted throughout the year in order to test the systems and see how quickly all staff and pupils could get out of the building. As tedious as they may have seemed, they help schools prepare in the event of a real fire, ensuring all those in the school make it out safely. It’s helpful to apply these practices to the workplace; conducting fire drills can improve fire safety, helping staff easily identify their fire exits and ensuring management know what to do in the event of a fire.
Arson
According to the Home Office, 45% of all serious fires are caused deliberately. It’s an unfortunate statistic, but whether it’s individuals playing a prank gone wrong or someone is deliberately trying to cause trouble, arson can have serious lasting effects. By installing fire sprinklers into your property, you can prepare for these serious albeit rare occasions, protecting both your staff and your property.
How Fire Sprinkler Systems Can Help
By installing automatic fire sprinklers into your property, you can make fire safety one of your top priorities as a business, protecting your future endeavours as well as the lives of everyone in and near your property. Here at RAD fire sprinklers, we can design and install your brand-new sprinkler system, ensuring your water supply and pressure is sufficient enough.
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