Fire Safety in the Workplace: More Than Just a Fire Extinguisher on the Wall
When people think about workplace fire safety, they often think about fire extinguishers and evacuation drills. In reality, good fire safety is much bigger than that. It covers your buildings, people, equipment, emergency arrangements, hazardous substances and electrical safety. Every workplace should have:
✅ A suitable Fire Risk Assessment for the premises. If you don't have someone suitably trained in-house, this can often be completed by an external specialist, sometimes through your insurance provider. The important part is then acting on the findings.
✅ Emergency procedures, evacuation plans and clear escape routes.
✅ Fire marshals across shifts and key areas of the business wherever possible.
✅ Emergency signs and evacuation notices displayed around the site.
✅ A clearly identified emergency assembly point.
✅ Annual fire extinguisher inspections and servicing by a competent external provider. This is often the same company that supplies your extinguishers and will ensure they remain serviceable, correctly located and suitable for the hazards present on site.
✅ Annual servicing, inspection and testing of fire alarm systems, including smoke detectors, heat detectors, alarms and sounders.
✅ Weekly fire alarm call point testing to ensure alarms are operating correctly and can be heard throughout the workplace.
✅ PAT testing and inspection of portable electrical equipment, with records maintained and defective equipment removed from service promptly. Faulty electrical equipment remains one of the most common causes of workplace fires.
✅ Fire safety training that is refreshed regularly, recorded and tracked on a training matrix.
Fire safety should also link into other areas of your health and safety management system. For example:
🔥 COSHH and hazardous substances
🔥 ADR and the transport of dangerous goods
🔥 Hot work permits and risk assessments
🔥 LPG storage and use
🔥 Lithium battery storage, charging arrangements and emergency response procedures
🔥 Forklift battery charging points
🔥 ATEX areas where explosive atmospheres may be present
🔥 Incident and emergency response plans
If your site stores hazardous materials, lithium batteries, LPG or other high-risk substances, your local Fire and Rescue Service should be aware of this and may carry out inspections. This helps emergency responders understand the risks they could face if called to your premises and whether it is safe to enter certain areas.
The emergency assembly point should ideally be a no-smoking area. If smoking areas are nearby, smoking should not be permitted during an evacuation. A clear smoking policy should also support your fire safety arrangements.
With the increase in lithium battery fires, businesses should also consider whether charging personal vapes on site is permitted. If it is, controls should be in place. If not, this should be clearly stated within the smoking policy. Damaged, poorly maintained or incorrectly charged lithium batteries can present a significant fire risk.
Fire risks evolve as workplaces evolve. Ten years ago, few organisations were considering lithium battery storage and charging arrangements. Today, they form an important part of many workplace fire risk assessments and emergency response plans.
One practical tip I always recommend is keeping a grab folder near a main exit containing key information such as:
📁 Site plans
📁 Employee and visitor registers
📁 Emergency contacts
📁 COSHH information
📁 Incident response procedures
📁 Details of any ATEX zones, LPG storage areas, hazardous substances and lithium battery storage locations
📁 Key site information for emergency services
In an emergency, having this information immediately available can save valuable time, particularly when fire marshals or emergency services need quick access to critical information.
Fire safety isn't just about ticking a compliance box. It's about preparation, communication and ensuring everyone knows exactly what to do if the worst happens.
Ask yourself: If the fire alarm sounded right now, would your team know what to do, where to go and who was in charge? If the answer isn't a confident "yes", it might be time for a review.
Stay safe. Stay prepared.
#starlitpeople #hrwithheart #safetywithsoul #HealthAndSafety #FireSafety #WorkplaceSafety #RiskAssessment #SafetyCulture #FireMarshal #COSHH #ADR #ATEX #PATTesting #LithiumBatteries #WorkplaceWellbeing #StarlitPeople #HealthAndSafetyConsultant #SafetyManagement #OccupationalSafety
