Our Top Ten Tips for Ensuring Fire Safety in the Workplace 

Check and update your fire risk assessment 

The best place to start is with your fire risk assessment. A lot can change in the space of a year; it may be that you now have more members of staff, you might have rejigged the layout in your workplace, or you might even have invested in new technology and equipment. All of these factors will have associated risks, and therefore will impact the risk assessment for fire safety in your workplace, so it’s important that it’s reviewed on a regular basis. 

When you come to checking and updating your fire risk assessment, you might consider the following: 

• The number of people now in your team and how this might impact your evacuation process 
• Accessibility for anyone in your team that may need additional assistance in the event of an emergency 
• Action plans for lone workers in the event of an emergency 
• Any changes that have been made to your working practices, perhaps since the pandemic began 
• The amount of flammable stock currently being stored on your premises 
• Testing and maintenance of your mechanical and electrical equipment – do you need to update your service contract? 
• Employee certifications – do you have your fire wardens/marshals appointed? 
• Your emergency evacuation plan – has anything changed in/around the premises that needs to be factored in? 
• Accessibility for the fire services and any emergency vehicles 
• The condition of your fire equipment – are your on-site fire extinguishers in good working order? 

Review your fire extinguisher requirements 

This check may fall under your fire risk assessment review, but if not, it’s a good idea to add it to your list. Regular maintenance of your fire extinguishers is essential to ensure they’re ready for use in an emergency situation. 

If there have been any significant changes made to your working practices or staffing, it’s also a good idea to review the number of fire extinguishers you have on site and assess whether or not there are enough, and whether or not they are situated in appropriate and accessible locations. 

Check your sprinkler system 

For those with a sprinkler system installed, regular maintenance of the system is key. Fire sprinkler systems should be inspected by a licensed professional at least once every year, so if you haven’t booked your inspection yet, now is the time.

Check your fire doors 

It’s important that fire doors remain functional and undamaged, so it’s a good idea to check the functionality and any wear and tear of your fire doors on a regular basis. You might also consider talking to staff members about fire hazard prevention; now that the weather is starting to warm up, it can be tempting to leave doors propped open to circulate air, however this will render your fire doors ineffective, so it may be a good idea to deliver a reminder to your team members. 

Review all high-risk areas 

When it comes to ensuring fire safety in the workplace, it’s a good idea to conduct regular checks of all high-risk areas, including kitchens, plant rooms, electrical intakes, server rooms, boiler rooms, etc. Are there any new pieces of equipment, or perhaps a build-up of materials, which may now pose an ignition risk? Conducting precautionary checks will highlight such risks and help to prevent fire outbreaks. 

Consider the flammable materials you may have in storage 

If you have a stockroom or storage cupboard, consider the flammability of the materials currently being stored. Following the pandemic, it’s likely that you’ll be storing additional cleaning products, alcohol-based hand sanitiser, and perhaps even items of PPE. Whilst conducting your fire risk assessment review, consider checking the warning labels of all of the items in storage, and be sure to move anything that’s flammable away from ignition sources, such as heat/hot surfaces, sparks, open flames, and smoking materials. 

Review your emergency escape routes 

If there have been changes made to your business, you’ll need to review your emergency escape routes and conduct an evacuation inspection which takes into account the access routes in and around the building, and the accessibility needs of everyone in your team. 

Your evacuation inspection should include: 

• Assessing internal and external access routes, including stairways, corridors and pathways 
• Assessing the condition of your fire doors to ensure they can be opened easily in an emergency 
• Assessing the condition of external fixtures, such as emergency staircases 
• Ensuring there are no obstructions in any access route or across any fire escapes 

Once your inspection is complete, be sure to update your staff on any changes. Even if there are no changes to your emergency evacuation procedures, it may be a good idea to speak to staff and deliver a refresher, so that you can rest assured that everyone is fully informed on what they should do in the event of an emergency. 

Book PAT tests for your portable electrical equipment 

Industrial sites, including commercial kitchens, should have their portable electrical equipment PAT tested every six months, whilst other workplaces with moveable electrical or IT equipment may choose to test around once every 12 months. 

At Citi Group, our qualified team of engineers performs all the necessary tests for PAT certification with minimal disruption to your working environment, compiling reports that are made readily available to you so that you can prove your compliance.

Following the initial visual inspection, during which our engineer will assess your electrical appliance to ensure it’s free from damage and has the correct fuse fitted, a complete safety assessment will then be carried out, including tests for earth continuity, insulation resistance, protective conduction/touch current, and functionality. 

Get in touch with our team to book PAT testing for your portable electrical equipment today. 

Have your fire alarm system checked and serviced 

It is a legal requirement for all commercial and industrial buildings to have a fire risk assessment in place for the protection of staff and visitors, and a result of this is often to have a fire alarm system installed at the property – the reliability and functionality of which should be checked on a regular basis by a qualified professional. 

Thorough and regular maintenance and inspections of your fire alarm system is vital to ensuring your staff and visitors are kept safe, and your building is legally compliant. Trust the Citi Group team to efficiently and reliably deliver all aspects of installation, inspection and maintenance services for your commercial fire alarm system. 

Review your emergency lighting set-up 

Is your emergency lighting set-up suitable for your premises and requirements? Complete and accurate maintenance of your emergency lighting system is vital to ensure your building of facility remains well lit at all times, which is essential not only for the purposes of safety in the event of an emergency evacuation, but also for crime prevention purposes. 

All emergency lighting systems must be tested monthly in accordance with BS EN 50172 / BS 5266-8. At Citi Group, we provide a comprehensive emergency lighting service from design through to installation and certification, including specialist procedures for all industries. 

We help our clients to fulfil their legal obligations and continue to operate safely. 

Ensure fire safety for your workplace with the Citi Group team. At Citi Group, we’re trusted by clients across the UK for the provision of efficient and cost-effective electrical compliance services, including PAT testing, electrical installations, electrical inspections, fixed wire testing, repairs and remedial works, energy monitoring, emergency lighting testing, and fire alarm testing. 

Ready to discuss your requirements? Get in touch with our team today.