Warrington is an ideal place to run a business, mainly due to the fact it is in the middle of a major regeneration project. This is ideal for small businesses as it helps boost the local economy.
If you are planning to run a small business in the Warrington area, then you should have certain policies in place. One of these key policies relates to a fire safety plan, which we will cover throughout this article.
Obviously, no business wants to experience a fire, but they do, unfortunately, happen for any number of reasons. In business, it is always better to be prepared, and more than that, it is a legal requirement too. This is exactly why it is necessary to have a fire safety plan in place. Business owners and landlords are obligated to deliver a fire safety plan to their colleagues, tenants and any other inhabitants of their building. Fires and smoke can spread swiftly, which can mean that there are only a few minutes to evacuate. The plan aims to ensure that these minutes are well spent. Read on to learn more for what your Warrington-based business needs.
Who Should Create the Fire Safety Plan?
Ultimately, the responsibility for creating a fire safety plan lies with the business owner or the owner or managers of the property; sometimes, this will all be the same person, depending on how the business is being run. This elected person will then also likely be responsible for carrying out risk assessments and identifying hazards. They need to come up with the health and safety procedures as a whole which will also include the fire safety plan. This person should have local Warrington contacts and know where the safety points are.
This responsibility extends to ensuring that fire alarms are checked regularly and that all other fire safety paraphernalia is installed and in good working order. This might mean working with fire door fitters like Artius Fire Protection to install fire doors as well as procuring fire blankets and extinguishers and ensuring that they are operational; they will also need to keep a record of these checks in a log book.
Creating the Plan
The first thing that you need to do when creating a fire safety plan is to identify the people in the building. Who would need to be evacuated in the event of a fire? During this step, it also makes sense to consider any people within the building who might need help to evacuate. This could be because of disabilities or hazards blocking the route.
The next thing that you need to do is to consider the logistics of how a fire could start in your building. Where would it break out, and why would it start? This tends to mean identifying higher-risk areas like kitchens or rooms with equipment or machinery that could overheat or malfunction. Placing fire safety tools in these rooms is advisable.
After this, you will then need to test your fire safety equipment. You need to ensure that they are operational and up-to-date. Some of these things will need to be checked on a regular basis, be that monthly or seasonally. The fire alarms and emergency lighting can be tested. You will also need to make sure that the signage and fire doors are visible and unobstructed. Finally, fire extinguishers will need to be checked to ensure that they are in date and operational; this might need to be done by a third party. Work with local Warrington suppliers for up-to-date equipment if needed.
It is also worth considering the first step here. If you have identified anyone who would struggle to evacuate, is there the necessary fire safety tool located near to them, like evacuation chairs? Obviously, there will need to be fire safety tools located on each floor and throughout the building too. You should also consider the accessibility of any first aid kits or any burns kits because sometimes the fires will be easily dealt with, negating the need for a full-scale evacuation but still requiring medical attention.
It is time to plan the evacuation route; depending on the size of the building, there is likely to be a number of routes. If you are in a Warrington retail park, then you may have to work with other Warrington-based business owners. You need to think about where the colleagues will be located during the work day and how they can safely leave the building using the nearest and most efficient route. Everyone needs to have a safe exit. The fire safety signs are designed to cut through even thick smoke to show the way.
It is then necessary to communicate this plan to colleagues and all inhabitants of the building. When a fire is spotted, the alarm will need to be raised, and the relevant emergency services will need to be called. Who is expected to run point in the evacuation plan? There will also need to be a second and third should either of these people be away from the business. These people may need to be trained and aware of their responsibilities. All colleagues also need to be aware of the fire assembly point. All that is left to do is to run a practice evacuation.
