Workplace Safety Tips: Identifying Fire Hazards

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provide an exhaustive (and exhausting) detailed reference of fire safety standards here. Many states such as IOSHA (Indiana) have adopted these workplace safety tips and summed them up different fire hazards in a convenient way:

General Fire Safety Tips

To eliminate fire hazards, you can install a fire alarm system and look for potential sources of fire ignition which may exist in your facility, such as:

Electrical Failures and Misuse of Electrical Equipment

You can reduce electrical fire hazards by ensuring proper installation, maintenance, and use; conducting regular inspections; and, providing job training to employees. Also, be sure to replace worn electrical cords and avoid overloading electrical circuits.

Housekeeping and Maintenance

You can reduce the potential for fires through attention to housekeeping. Immediately dispose of flammable wastes and scrap in metal containers with metal lids. Avoid excessive stockpiling, and put trash and paper in proper containers.

Path of Travel

Do not store flammable material in any part of a means of egress. If the path that your employees must travel to leave the building is not immediately apparent from any point, mark the route with directional signs

Exit Doors

A door designated as a means of egress must be maintained so that employees can easily exit.

Do not lock exit doors; doing so prevents escape from inside the building.

Doors shall never be chained, barred, bolted, or latched when the building is occupied.

Prohibit the use of locking devices that are difficult to open against door pressure (e.g., slide bolts, hasps, hooks and eyes).

Prevent the door from being blocked by debris, surplus stock, mechanical equipment, or ice and snow.

Maintain all door components in working condition.

Robert Siciliano personal and small business security specialist toADT Small Business Security discussingADT Pulse on Fox News. Disclosures