Assessing electrical fire risks in the workplace
Making sure that your workplace is suitable for you and your employees to spend a large majority of their time is vital. In fact, if you do not pay enough attention to this particular area of your business, you could be fined, even be taken to court. There have been many cases in the past where employers simply do not assign priority when it comes to fire risk assessments, and in the event of a fire, employees may indeed sue the employer for their lack of attention and care.
When conducting a risk assessment, there will be various aspects that you will be looking at. Some people prefer to hire a professional fire risk assessment company to enter the building and conduct an unbiased and comprehensive view of the premises to identify any risks. This gives peace of mind that the assessment has been carried out in a completely thorough, sufficient manner.
This may be beneficial to you if you do not have enough time to conduct a thorough risk assessment yourself, or if you would like the view of a professional who may pick up on hazards which you may not have identified as a risk.
Electricity is all around us. It lights up our homes... powers much of the machinery and equipment that we use... and runs many of our tools. We are so used to it, most employees "take it for granted." Yet electricity can also be dangerous. Employees need to know how electricity works, and what they should do to protect themselves from its hazards.
Our training products on "Electrical Safety" remind employees about electrical hazards they may face in their jobs, and provides the information they need to work safely around electricity. This program will also assist in satisfying the OSHA training requirements under 29 CFR Part 1910.331 (Electrical Safety Standard) for "non-qualified" employees. Topics covered in these products include:
- How electricity works.
- Fuses and circuit breakers.
- Grounding and GFIs.
- Safe work practices.
- Outlets, plugs and extension cords.
- Working with electrical equipment.
- Using ladders around electricity.
- Electrical emergencies.
- and more.
- Common causes of office fires.
- The concept of "flashpoint".
- "Classes" of fires.
- Importance of good housekeeping.
- Preventing office fires.
- Fire extinguishers.
- Evacuation and other employee responsibilities.
- First aid.
- and more.