Fire Safety in the Workplace
Workplace fire safety is a legal responsibility for every employer. This is a mandatory, legal requirement. There are many specific aspects of fire safety that must be complied with, such as making sure that emergency routes and exits are kept clear and are well signposted; fire detecting and fire-fighting equipment must be installed correctly; there must be a clear emergency evacuation plan that is made known to everyone in the building; the needs of vulnerable people must be taken into consideration; fire safety staff must be adequately trained and the removal or safe storage of dangerous or hazardous materials must be carried out. These are just some of the mandatory requirements, but every organisation is required to carry out their own fire safety risk assessments to identify and prioritise every potential hazard so that control measures can be put in place to mitigate the risk. The employer’s responsibility extends not only to employees, but everyone who is on the premises, including visitors and contractors.
