Teaching Fire Safety to Your Staff | SERVPRO of Bartow County
4/10/2023 (Permalink)
As business owners or commercial property owners, having plans in place for emergencies are vital. If you don’t, it can create a chaotic situation quickly and put your employees at risk. This is especially true for fires in the workplace!
Teaching the fundamentals of fire safety can help your team better understand how to react in an emergency situation. It can also keep them safe if a potential disaster can be stopped before it spreads.
Check out our latest blog below about how to teach fire safety and fire extinguisher use to your staff.
According to OSHA, all businesses that have a fire extinguisher on the premises needs to train their employees on its use. Not only that, but they need to have the knowledge of when to use one and what different fire extinguishers are used for.
Teaching your employees how to hold a fire extinguisher is the first step! Explain how to aim and how to pull the pin. Once they get the hang of that, have them practice sweeping over the flames and standing at a safe distance of at least six feet away.
Another helpful way to teach fire extinguisher safety is to introduce the acronym PASS. In an emergency situation, it can help your employees focus on the steps and stay in control. This training should be done at least once a year, and even more often as you hire employees.
After your team understands the basics, you should also assign critical roles to trusted members of your staff. Having a designated person to call 911 and others to grab the extinguishers and fight the fire can help keep a situation from escalating and can keep everyone safe.
All fire situations are unique, and each business carries its own risk. No matter if your business is in downtown Cartersville along Cherokee Ave. or on the outskirts of town near Rydal, you need to have a plan in place for tackling different scenarios. Simple fires in the break room require a different response than a full warehouse fire or chemical spill.
If the fire grows or becomes an unsafe situation, ensure your staff know that their safety is the most important thing. Backing away and seeking a safe exit should always be an option for your team.
When it comes to emergency preparation, even a little training can go a long way. Teach these skills to your employees and you can rest assured that your business is in good hands, even when you are not there yourself.
Dealing with the aftermath of a commercial fire? Our SERVPRO specialists can restore your losses and return your workplace to its pre-fire condition.