Industrial buildings are more susceptible to fire for various reasons. They may contain large quantities of flammable materials such as paper, cardboard, chemicals, or other stored products. Additionally, businesses often operate for extended hours, leading to constant use of electrical systems and machinery, increasing the risk of overheating. Human errors, like negligence in following safety procedures or improper use of flammable materials, further elevate the risk of fire hazards. Maintenance issues and limited access to firefighting equipment can exacerbate the situation. This combination underlines the urgent need for robust fire prevention measures for companies.
What preventive measures can you take to prevent fire incidents?
Implementing effective fire prevention measures in your company can significantly reduce the risk of fire. Consider:
- Complying with fire safety regulations: ensure all buildings and installations adhere to applicable fire safety regulations.
- Fire risk assessment: regularly conduct assessments to identify and evaluate potential fire hazards.
- Fire alarms: ensure adequate fire and smoke detectors are installed in your buildings and conduct regular checks.
- Firefighting equipment: place sufficient firefighting equipment at strategic locations in your buildings to ensure they are readily available and operational.
- Training and awareness: provide comprehensive training for your staff in handling flammable materials and equipment and ensure adequate awareness and sensitization.
- Regular maintenance: don’t wait until it’s too late to maintain your technical installations; instead, conduct regular and preventive maintenance. Our technical divisions, Techni Masters and Maintenance Masters, can support you in this regard.
- Smoking ban: implement smoking bans in hazardous areas and only allow smoking in designated smoking areas.
- Emergency exits and evacuation plans: if a fire occurs, ensure your buildings have clearly marked emergency exits and escape routes.
Fire prevention for companies: engage a professional partner like Safety Masters
While there are many steps you can take to make your business fire-safe, it’s essential to enlist professional assistance for hazardous tasks. This is where our division, Safety Masters, comes into play. With our fire or safety guards, you can focus on your core business while our safety masters ensure the safety of everyone on your premises.
But what exactly does a fire or safety guard do? In companies with an increased risk of fire or explosions, the fire guard oversees safety. All our safety masters are VCA certified and provide round-the-clock safety for your employees, customers, or other visitors to your premises. In performing their duties, they rely primarily on risk analysis, enabling them to minimize risks to the absolute minimum.
Responsibilities of the fire or safety guard
The fire or safety guard:
- checks whether workers have undergone the appropriate training;
- ensures workers have the necessary permits;
- oversees the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE);
- supervises the proper application of safety protocols;
- can perform gas and oxygen measurements;
- can intervene and provide first aid in emergencies, such as incipient fires.
In which sectors is a fire guard necessary?
Filip Pellens, manager of Safety Masters, explains: “We primarily look at industrial companies. In the petrochemical sector, the fire guard is indispensable. But think also of the maritime industry. In fact, the work area of the fire guard is quite broad. Wherever welding work is performed, where work is carried out in confined spaces, where gases may be released, in short, where there is a safety risk, a safety guard is necessary.”
