If your business is based in an office environment, you might think that your risk of a fire is on the lower side. Although you are right in that there are other workplaces where the risk is higher, a workplace can be a potential fire hazard if care is not taken, and there are many things in an office that have the potential to start a fire.
Safety in the workplace must be taken seriously regardless of the environment, and it is important to have a professional like this fire risk assessment Bristol based company http://keloscape.co.uk/areas-we-cover/fire-safety-consultancy-bristol do a fire risk assessment in your office if you are responsible for it.
Here are just some of the most common fire risks that can be found in a typical office…
Electrical Equipment that is Faulty or Damaged – An office will have a lot of electrical equipment in it from the computers to the printers and the phones, a typical office needs to have various electrical devices in order to function.
When there is a large amount of electronics, there are lots of things to think about to make sure that it is safe. From making sure that plug sockets are not being overloaded, to making sure that all electrical equipment is safety tested on a regular basis, it is important to be aware of the correct things to do with electrical equipment.
Not Storing Flammable Items Correctly – Incorrect storage can be a way that a fire starts, and an office is no exception to this. From pieces of paper and files which can easily go up in flames if a fire starts, to chemicals that could be used for cleaning, it is important to keep everything tidy and most importantly stored in a safe place to reduce the risk of a fire.
Kitchen Fires – Most modern offices have a kitchen area that staff can use to make lunch and hot drinks, but these can also be a potential hazard. Things like microwaves, sandwich toasters and kettles are electrical and have the potential to be a fire hazard if they are not working correctly or they are not being used correctly, so make sure that all staff are aware of how to use items in the kitchen and how to turn them off.