Pinning Down Electrical Faults

Faulty electrical wiring is one of the common causes of workplace fires. Various workplaces host many kinds of equipment that consume a great amount of electricity daily, and without proper wiring, an average workplace can instantly turn into a fire hazard. A professional fire safety risk assessment helps identify problematic electrical areas.

Old and Faulty Appliances

There are workplaces where some of the appliances have soldiered on for years. As such, they may have frayed or faulty wiring. Defective power cords lying on or placed under fabrics may cause cloth surfaces such as carpets, rugs, or curtains to catch fire. This is true when the wiring is chafing under the foot traffic.

Big Bulbs

The lighting industry has some products touted to produce high amounts of luminescence, but at a great cost in wattage. Always check if the light bulb wattage is suitable for the light fixture; if the amount exceeds the fixture’s specs, overheating could result in a fire risk.

Stopping Fires before They Begin: Fire Safety Tips

Fire safety should be everyone’s responsibility, especially with the troubling fact that there were 192,600 fires around the U.K. from 2012 to 2013. The Fire Safety Order states that everyone who owns or occupies a non-domestic property should, among other things, conduct their own inspections for potential fire hazards, inform their colleagues of any such hazards identified within the premises, and participate in emergency planning. For common or shared areas, however, the responsibility falls entirely upon landlords.

Is your Garage Safe?

Garages are fun additions to your property, whether they’re integral to your house or a separate facility. Given the harsh conditions that English weather is known for, a place to protect your vehicles and other belongings from the elements is always welcome. However, when you use the garage for storing and maintaining vehicles, too many things can still happen inside such a confined space. You will need fire risk assessment specialists to determine their overall safety per the Fire Safety Order of 2005, putting some critical elements into account.

Fire Safety and Risk Assessment in the U.K.

The U.K. is known as one of the most thorough nations when it comes to fire safety. In fact it has comprehensive fire legislation not commonly known elsewhere in the world. Has anything changed in the country when it comes to the enforcement of fire safety laws? For starters, fires have been steadily declining, due in no small part to wetter weather. However, as long as fires pose a threat to life and property, there can be no rest for those in charge of people’s safety. In the end, only the quick action of a business or institution can prevent the terrible loss of life and of property.

Know Your Fire Extinguishers

Most fires can be safely doused with water. Why just "most?"

Fires take on the characteristics of the fuel, resulting in fires worse than simply burning paper. If you try dousing a petrol fire with water, for instance, the petrol—being lighter than water—will simply spread over a wide area, igniting more flammable materials nearby. You'll need something that chemically bonds with oil to put out the flame; i.e. foam or carbon dioxide.

Fire risk assessment takes into account possible scenarios for a fire, which includes the kinds of fuel that can cause one. Factories are at a greater risk of fire than homes since they normally house different kinds of fuel and fire hazards. They may have a gas line running throughout the entire facility or may be working with high-voltage electrical currents.

Dry powder is the most versatile fire extinguisher available. Also known as dry chemical, this fire extinguisher is either classified as ABC (containing ammonium phosphate) or BC (containing sodium or potassium phosphate). These chemicals works by absorbing fuel molecules, thereby interrupting the burning process by smothering the flames.

While dry powder is effective for all types of fire, safety experts warn against using the wrong extinguisher due to the risk of re-ignition. In gas fires, without separating the fire from the source of fuel, efforts to bring the blaze under control will be futile. That's why it's best to have the right type(s) of fire extinguisher(s) for your home or facility.