What are the Fire Safety Measures to be taken in Office?

What are the Fire Safety Measures to be taken in Office?

FIRE SAFETY IN OFFICES
The traditional image of office work being always safe is deceptive. The 
main risk to life and property in offices is from fire. Besides loss of life. Injury to 
office workers and damages to property, critical date and irreplaceable office 
records, loss of which can give a severe blow to the organization, are vulnerable 
to poorly managed fire hazards in modern offices.

COMMON FIRE HAZARDS

•  Paper records, plastic tapes and floppy discs.
•  False ceiling, wooden furniture, carpet, etc.
•  Non-Standard and faulty powered office equipment.
•  Defective and loose electrical wiring.
•  Overloading of electrical circuits.
•  Free use of extension cords, ungrounded plugs and unfused multiple outlet adapters.
•  Microwave oven, hot plate, cooking fuel (LPG), etc in office canteens.

Following are some samples tips which if followed, would certainly help to minimize incident of office fires or at lest their severity

FIRE PREVENTION
GENERAL CONSIDERATION:

•  Practice good housekeeping. See that all thrash cans and recycling containers are emptied on a regular basis.
•  Ensure that office and storage closest are free of excess combustible material. Limit their quantities to an acceptable level and store them only in approved cabinets.
•  Keep heat-producing equipment such as copiers, computers, coffee makers, hot plates, etc. away form anything might burn. Don’t smoke at places other than permitted areas and discard ashes in ashtrays only.
•  Ensure that air vent on computers and other heat-producing equipment are not covered or restricted causing inadequate airflow, which could cause a fire.
•  Don’t place space heaters under desks. Located them in an open and away from combustibles.

ELECTRICAL CONSIDERATION:

•  Don’t overload circuits. Install additional circuits if needed.
•  Turn off electrical equipment / appliance while leaving the office.
•  Use only grounded appliances plugged into grounded outlets.
•  Disconnect electrical appliance if it malfunctions or gives off a strange smell and call the maintenance personnel.
•  Never plug one extension cord into another.
•  Take electrical equipment with defective cords, out of service until the cord is replaced.
•  Avoid use of electrical extension cords. Use them only in situations where fixed wiring is not feasible. If their use is necessary, ensure that they are not run through doors, walls, floors or any other location where they could be damaged.
•  Examine extension cords regular and ensure that they are not frayed or defective.
•  Follow correct specifications when replacing fuses in equipment.
•  Always prefer standard equipment bearing ISI mark.

FIRE EMERGENCY
BE PREPARED:

•  Ensure that emergency numbers are pasted on your telephone.
•  Know how to use fire extinguishers and active fire alarms.
•  Don’t block fire equipment and fire exits.
•  Ensure that fire equipment is maintained in working conditions by periodic inspection and maintenance.
•  Report missing and damaged extinguishers immediately.

IF FIRE OCCURS

•  Don’t panic; remain calm.
•  Notify anyone in the immediate area and fire bridge.
•  Activate the nearest fire alarm.
•  Turn off the electrical equipment in the immediate area, if possible.
•  Confine that fire by closing doors and windows.
•  Attempts to extinguish the fire only if it is safe to do so.
•  Stay low if there is smoke or heat.
•  Don’t use elevators. Always use staircases: do not congregate in the stairways. Always move down and out.
•  Don’t go back for your things if you are asked to leave.
•  Assemble outside. Do not re-enter the building until notified.
•  Don’t enter the area if you suspect that a life- threatening condition still exists.
•  Take affected persons to a safer place and get medical help promptly.

--PRACTICE GOOD HOUSE KEEPING – PREVENT OFFICE FIRES--