Nearly 100,000 workplace fires occur every year in the United States, resulting in billions of dollars in losses. The human toll is high as well, with the National Safety Council estimating fires and burns account for 3 percent of all occupational fatalities.
Because of the substantial risks and costs associated with workplace fires, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires businesses to have a fire prevention plan that incorporates:
- a list of the major workplace fire hazards, proper handling and storage procedures for hazardous materials, potential ignition sources, and the type of fire protection equipment needed to control each major hazard;
- names and job titles of employees responsible for maintaining equipment to prevent or control sources of ignition and fires;
- names and job titles of employees responsible for controlling fuel source hazards;
- procedures for controlling accumulations of flammable and combustible waste materials; and
- procedures for regular maintenance of safeguards installed on heat-producing equipment to prevent the accidental ignition of combustible materials.
OSHA recommends that companies include key elements from their emergency action plan in their fire prevention plan, such as:
- emergency evacuation procedures and exit route assignments;
- procedures for employees who must stay behind to maintain or curtail critical operations before evacuation;
- procedures for counting employees after an evacuation;
- rescue and medical duties for assigned employees;
- procedures for reporting a fire or other emergency; and
- names and job titles of employees who can dispense information about the emergency action plan.
A written fire prevention plan must be made available to employees for review; firms with 10 or fewer employees in a facility can communicate the plan verbally.
Liability: A Primary Consideration Fire prevention plans make sense for controlling potential liability. When conducting workplace inspections, OSHA checks to see if employers comply with fire safety standards. The death of a worker from a fire or emergency-related incident in the workplace can subject companies to federal prosecution if OSHA standards are not met.
All employees must be able to move quickly and appropriately in an emergency. To achieve this, emergency training must be conducted for workers on all shifts. Every employee must have the opportunity to actually hear what the fire alarm sounds like and to participate in drills.
Preventing fire-related deaths in the workplace can be as simple as properly marking fire exit locations, periodically testing fire-extinguishing and alarm systems, and developing effective evacuation plans. To better protect against liability, ask an attorney to review the emergency action plan and fire prevention plan to verify compliance.