Tips for Your Business: Fire Safety Edition | SERVPRO® of Buffalo/Tonawanda

4/19/2019 (Permalink)

If a fire has damaged your business, SERVPRO® of Buffalo - Tonawanda is available to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

As a business owner, you have a responsibility to take safety factors into consideration regarding risks to your business, staff and visitors. One of those risks you need to consider and create a plan for is fire prevention.

What Can Cause Commercial Structure Fires?

According to research conducted by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) the leading causes of structure fires in office properties from 2007–2011 were (in order):

1. Cooking equipment, 29% of fires
2. Electrical distribution and lighting equipment, 12% of fires
3. Heating equipment, 11% of fires
4. Intentional, 10% of fires
5. Smoking materials, 9% of fires
6. Exposure, 4% of fires
7. Electronic, office or entertainment equipment, 3% of fires

Of those causes, intentional, exposure and electrical distribution, and lighting equipment accounted for the most property damage with 20%, 18% and 15% respectively.

In 2007, The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that fires and explosions accounted for 3% of all workplace fatalities.

In studying more recent numbers, the NFPA estimates that during the period from 2007–2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 3,340 fires involving office properties per year. Those fires were responsible for an annual average of four deaths, 44 injuries and $112 million in direct property damage.

How to Protect Your Business

There are certain steps you can take to protect your business from fire risk. By focusing on fire risk assessment, fire prevention and staff education, you can help reduce the chance of a fire breaking out.

The first step to take is to assess the fire hazard risks. Local governments in some areas often offer a visit from the local fire marshal to assist in identifying fire risks and offering guidance and suggestions on your fire prevention plan.

Make sure that you have the right fire protection equipment in place. Items to include are an automatic sprinkler system, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers for each floor.

Finally, you must make provision for your employees and visitors. By creating a fire plan and reviewing it with your staff, you’ll be making sure everyone knows what to do in the case of a fire. Conduct fire drills at least once a year to keep the fire safety protocol fresh and make time to review evacuation plans and where the first-aid kits are located.

Despite best efforts with fire prevention and safety tips, the worst could always happen at your business. If a fire has damaged your business, SERVPRO® of Buffalo/Tonawanda is available to help make it like it never even happened.