12 Fire Safety Habits to Protect Your Work Place

Fire Safety Habits All Employees Should Know

Much of fire safety is just commonsense steps that apply to every environment, both commercial, industrial, or residential. Fire events still happen often enough, so here are several Fire Safety Habits reminders to keep you on your toes and help you prevent fires from happening in the workplace.

  1. Be careful with open flames. Fires require three elements: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source. Be knowledgeable about fireplaces. Many manufacturing or industrial sites use fire for tasks such as welding, soldering, and cutting implements. Make sure that areas are clean and free of debris.
  2. Store flammable liquids properly. It is surprising how many flammable chemical cleaners and solvents we bring into the workplace. Make sure that all such containers are securely sealed and stored upright. Often, flammable liquids are volatile and evaporate, producing dangerous flammable gas. This gas is also hazardous to health when inhaled, another reason to store it properly.
  3. Tobacco Products. Each cigarette, cigar, or pipe is a little fire source, and they require attention from light up to put out. Use tobacco products only in areas designated for their use. Prior to leaving the area, make sure that any smoldering ash is completely distinguished.
  4. Dust and grease are fuel. Both these byproducts of common activities are unsightly and annoying, giving plenty of cause to clean them away. They are also fire hazards. When they encounter sufficient heat or a spark, a fire can spread rapidly across a wide surface. For this reason, cleaning dust, grease, and debris is not just for aesthetic purposes; it is also for fire safety purposes.
  5. Keep egress paths open. It is tempting to use hallways or stair landings as storage space. Resist the temptation! In an emergency, someone who is focused on evacuation is not prepared to run an obstacle course. Expect there to be usual noises, lower light, and high adrenaline. Additional stimulation is not welcomed. Keep the path to all exits open and free from obstacles.
  6. High-tech batteries are high-energy batteries. Remember that cute bunny with the drum, assuring you he has power to spare? Yet, it is common to find them jumbled inside of an office desk drawer. Chargers and batteries for phones and computers are no joke. Always store batteries properly, with fire safety in mind. Remember, all it takes is a completed circuit to release that energy, and when it is released, it will create sufficient heat to cause a fire. Make sure to keep battery terminals from encountering flammable materials or fuels.
  7. Give heat-generating appliances room. Heat-generating devices in industrial or manufacturing sites are quite common. Treat such devices carefully to reduce the likelihood of daily devices becoming fire hazards.
  8. Use auxiliary heating devices carefully. Small electric heaters or heated oil devices must be handled with proper fire safety in mind. Do not leave them unattended. They should be kept out of the line of foot traffic. Leave 2’ of clearance around every side.
  9. Pay attention as you cook. One of the top causes of both residential and commercial fires happens in the kitchen, and it is not due to unsuccessful flambeaus. Flame and heat encounter fuels in open spaces; whatever can go wrong often does. Heating up food in a break room should be handled with care.
  10. Clean dryer vents. The laundry process detaches extremely small particles that we call lint. They are known to be a fire hazard, so commercial dryers are vented outdoors. However, they collect on the pipe that transports them outdoors, and the collection of lint remains in proximity to a heating element. Clean the lint regularly to prevent it from catching fire.
  11. Don’t overload extension cords. Consider extension cords to be temporary measures, not permanent fixtures. The cords encourage people to run multiple devices from a circuit designed to handle one. This increase in power can create heat; too much power is running through a given wire, and the heat can generate a flame.
  12. Understand spontaneous combustion. Many chemical changes are considered oxidation—the same process as combustion—that we don’t associate with combustion. For example, rust is the product of metal oxidation—an extremely slow fire. Other chemicals also oxidize rather slowly, such as oil, solvents, and grease. These oxidation reactions create heat during oxidation, and often, the heat is not even noticed. However, when the heat from oxidation does not dissipate quickly, it can build up and start a fire unexpectedly. Do not store oily or solvent-soaked rags or towels, and do not store them all wadded up. Spontaneous combustion is rare, but it does happen.

If you have questions about workplace fire safety habits, we can help.

Call Fire Safe Protection Services today at 713-722-7800 or visit our online form, and we will be in contact as soon as possible about your workplace Fire Safety Habits questions.