Protect your business from fire

Understanding fire can help prevent fires at businesses.

According to the City of Ekurhuleni, it has been experiencing serious industrial fires within a short space of time.

“A lot of us know the most basic fire safety tips, but not everyone has as much fire safety knowledge as they could,” said William Ntladi, district manager media liaison for DEMS.

“In the workplace it’s important and imperative that everyone is on the same page when it comes to fire safety policies and procedures.”

Fire can cause damage, injury and in extreme cases, death can occur. Therefore, it is important that all employees understand fire prevention techniques and its reactivity.

The three main ingredients that create fire are heat, fuel and oxygen. The fourth hidden aspect of fire creation is chemical chain reaction or a spontaneous self-combustion reaction.

An example of such a reaction is compost that burns without introduction of either of the three elements and reaction of some mixed chemicals. The chemicals at play here are potassium chlorate and ordinary table sugar combined with a drop of sulfuric acid.

“Housekeeping is not just cleanliness,” said Ntladi.

“It includes keeping work areas neat and orderly, maintaining warehouses, workshops, halls, offices, storerooms and floors free of slip and trip hazards, and removal of hazardous materials and other fire hazards from work areas.”

There should be a designated smoking area that’s a safe distance from the building.

Also, make sure to provide ashtrays or other safe options for people to properly extinguish and dispose their lit cigarettes. This will help keep your building safe from accidental fires caused by lit cigarettes. Cleaning of the dry vegetation along the perimeter fencing, inside and outside, could prevent unexpected wild veld fires into your property more over during none-operational hours. 

Emergency and evacuation plans are important to prevent further damages or issues if there’s a fire. It’s important that if someone needs to call for help, they know what to do, how to easily find the building and what the next steps should be.

Fire prevention is just as important after a fire has already started because it can reduce the risk of it spreading, which can lead to more damages. 

Safety tips for fire prevention includes:

• Keep workplaces clean and tidy; waste left lying around is a source of fuel for a fire.

• Keep flammable substances (fuel) and ignition sources (heat) apart.

• Do not smoke in the workplace. Use designated smoking places.

• Do not leave food cooking unmonitored.

• Avoid using naked flames unless necessary.

• Install smoke and fire detecting systems. 

• Avoid self-connection of electrical machinery and appliances.

• Firefighting equipment should be installed in accordance to building fire safety regulations. Different fire extinguishers placed in accordance to different risks factors.

• Chemicals should be stored in a closed environment and avoid mixing. 

• Doors and corridors should be unobstructed.

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