Owning a business opens you up to a lot of liabilities. You take on a responsibility to provide a good service or product to others, without putting them into danger or harm. If you have a physical business location, you are required to keep everything updated and repaired, in working and safe condition. You will be required to have large insurance protections, in the event that something does happen to one of your customers. However, every precaution should be taken to provide the highest amount of safety for the people that visit your business location.
Follow all building codes and regulations. Each state and county will have their own safety regulations and building codes. These are regulations that are set by the state, as to what they have deemed to be the safest precautions for the public. It may require you to have a specific number of doors or windows in each area of your business. It may require you to have a specific number of commercial fire alarms located throughout your business.
Some businesses may be subject to higher regulations and more frequent of safety inspections. These businesses might include working environments that put more risk to the employees, such as in warehouses or highly technological labs. These environments are at a higher risk of fire damages. Higher standards may be set onto establishments that customers spend more time in also, such as hotels or motels. Hotel and motel fires cause an estimated 15 deaths and 150 injuries every year.
Follow routine inspection schedules. Some larger cities may be overwhelmed with the amount of routine inspections they need to complete. A business may be able to get away with irregular inspections to fire protection in these cities, however, this can be very dangerous. Fire protection companies provide inspections for the safety of the business and its customers. Fire protection companies use inspections to notify any faulty fire alarm services or equipment, allowing it to be fixed or replaced, before a fire emergency occurs.
Do regular commercial fire alarm systems checks. A fire inspection may include alarm checks. However, fire protection companies may only provide inspections once or twice a year. In some situations, this may not be enough. Businesses can conduct their own routine inspections of all fire protection equipment. Test fire alarms not only ensure that all of the fire protection equipment is working, but it also makes the employees aware of the process during a fire alarm.
Have extra fire sprinkles installed. Most of the damages that occur from commercial fires occur because there was not enough fire protection installed. The minimum requirements may not be enough to properly prevent a fire from spreading. In a study of fires, sprinklers operated in 91% of all reported structure fires large enough to activate sprinklers, excluding buildings under construction and buildings without sprinklers in the fire area. Fire alarm contractors can ensure that you have sufficient enough sprinklers located throughout your building.
Develop a fire evacuation plan and post it in multiple places. Fire alarm checks are a great way to prepare employees for the process of a fire evacuation, but it is not possible to do the same with the businesses employees. Posting an effective and easy to read fire evacuation plan can be helpful to notify the businesses employees of the appropriate steps to take during a fire. Fire protection companies can help with the proper placement of these notices.
It is also important to develop a fire evacuation plan that is easy to follow. In a survey of 119 businesses, only 35% had any kind of fire evacuation plan. The plan should also include any alternate evacuation plans, in the event that a fire or other substance is blocking the suggested plan. Developing a plan can reduce the amount of panic that customers experience when they unsure of what to do.
Proper prevention and planning is the best way to prevent damages from a fire. Fire protection companies can help with the placement of fire sprinklers, evacuation plans, and routine inspections. Inspections allow employees to learn about proper evacuation methods. Posted evacuation plans notify customers of what to do, in the event of a fire.
