Stay Safe On The Job

Many of the nation's annual 6,000 office fires can be prevented and injury and loss can be minimized, if employees follow simple on-the-job FIRE SAFETY practices. 

 

EASY STEPS TO A FIRE SAFE WORKPLACE

SMOKING MATERIALS:

  • Cigarettes, matches, and lighters are a major cause of all fires.  

  • Smoke only in areas where permitted. Do not flick cigarette ashes onto floors or into wastebaskets. Use large, non-tip ashtrays, and make sure everything in them is cold before you empty them.  

  • Provide visitors with large, deep ashtrays, and be sure that no one leaves a smoldering cigarette on furniture or in a wastebasket.

WIRING:

  • Replace any electrical cord that has cracked insulation or a broken connector.  

  • Do not run extension cords across doorways or where they can be stepped on or chaffed. Do not plug one extension cord into another and avoid plugging more than one extension cord into an outlet.  

  • Do not pinch electrical cords under or behind furniture.

APPLIANCES:

  • Leave space for air to circulate around heaters and other heat-producing equipment such as copy machines and computer terminals. Keep appliances away from anything that might catch fire.  

  • Designate an employee to turn off or unplug all appliances - including coffee makers and hotplates - at the end of each work day.  

  • And remember: Keep exits, storage areas, and stairways free from waste paper, empty boxes, dirty rags, and other fire hazards.

ARSON:

Arson is the largest single cause of fires in office buildings.

  • Adhere to your building's security measures and help keep unauthorized people out of the building. Doors should be kept locked after business hours. Alleys and other areas around your building should be well lit. Keep clutter our of halls, lobbies, alleys and other publicly accessible areas.

PLAN AHEAD!!!!

EMPLOYEES SHOULD....

  • Count the doors or desks between their work areas and the nearest exits. During a fire, employees may have to find their way out in the dark.  

  • Know the location of the nearest fire alarm and learn how to use it.  

  • Post the fire department emergency number on or near their telephones.  

  • Be sure that someone in authority knows about any disability that could delay an escape and make plans for a safe evacuation.

EMPLOYERS SHOULD....

  • Post building evacuation plans and discuss them during new-employee orientations.  

  • Conduct regular evacuation drills.  

  • When possible, include disabled employees in evacuation planning.

IN THE EVENT OF FIRE, SOUND THE ALARM AND ESCAPE QUICKLY!!

  • Sound the alarm and call the fire department, no matter how small the fire appears to be.  

  • Leave the area quickly, closing doors as you go to help contain the fire and smoke.  

  • Go to the nearest exit that is not blocked by fire.  

  • Heat and smoke rise, leaving cleaner air near the floor. If you must escape through smoke, crawl low.  

  • Test doors before you open them. Kneeling or crouching at the door, reach up as high as you can and touch the door, the knob, and the space between the door and its frame with the back of your hand. If the door is hot, use another escape route. If the door is cool, open it cautiously, and continue along your escape route.  

  • Follow directions from fire and security personnel. Once outside, move away from the building, out of the way of firefighters. Remain outside until the fire department says you may go back in.

 

Be Safe - Not Sorry