Check For and Fix Damaged Electronics
Damaged or defective electronics cause a significant number of fires in commercial and industrial buildings, and in most cases the fire could have been prevented. Almost every building and company uses electrical equipment, which means every company has the risk of a fire starting from electrical sources.
If the wire is loose or frayed, or has been cut or damaged during use it should be fixed or disposed of correctly. It cannot just be wrapped in electrical tape and forgotten about; it should be completely fixed before it creates a problem. If the plug is broken or loose, or sparks when it is plugged in, there is an issue that needs to be addressed. All it takes is one stray spark or a hot wire against something combustible to start a fire.
Dispose of Cigarettes Safely
Workers tossing a cigarette butt that wasn’t completely extinguished causes countless fires throughout the United States each year. The cigarette will appear out, but can continue to have smoldering ashes that will ignite anything combustible they are near.
It is important for a business to create a smoking policy and enforce it, as well as provide designated smoking areas with proper disposal bins to prevent the possibility of cigarettes coming in contact with anything flammable.
Don’t Let Combustibles Accumulate
Every fire needs a fuel source, and most companies provide this fuel source without even realizing it. Whenever combustible materials are allowed to collect in one area it creates a fire hazard and a potential source for a fire to start. These combustible materials can range from dirty rags to stacks of pallets, to cardboard boxes and stacks of paper.
If it can be prevented, these materials should always be stored in fire rated containers that help to keep them from igniting, and should be kept somewhere with firefighting equipment nearby. The combustible materials should be kept organized and out of the way, to prevent them from coming in contact with a fire source and keeping them out of the way in case of evacuation.
Keep Combustible Dust Under Control
Many manufacturing and production companies create large amounts of dust during the manufacturing process, which is often just considered a nuisance and not cleaned thoroughly. These dusts can cause an explosion hazard however, even when they come from materials that are usually not flammable, such as aluminum.
Even if basic housekeeping is performed in the facility this dust can remain airborne or collect on high surfaces, which allows for a combustible dust cloud to form. There have been multiple huge industrial explosions caused by these dust clouds igniting, and OSHA now looks for and gives citations for these dust accumulations. Having this dust professionally cleaned with explosion proof equipment is the only safe and approved way to prevent workplace fires.
Don’t Let Winter Create New Issues
We’ve previously discussed how fire hazards can actually increase during the cold winter, but on top of those issues workers can inadvertently bring new fire hazards into a building. Decorative lights can get worn throughout the years, and if left on continuously the bulbs can get hot enough to ignite a fuel source. Workers often will use space heaters to fend off the cold, but these create a huge fire hazard when they are left unattended.
With the addition of these lights and heaters outlets might suddenly become overloaded, or extension cords will be used, which brings electrical hazards into areas that didn’t previously have one. It is important that policies about these winter additions are created and followed, and that lights and heaters are turned off when not in use.