You may think that general fire and safety at the workplace may not fall under your job description but think again. Fire damages and fatalities in the workplace are a common occurrence, so it should be everyone’s responsibility to ensure that something like this does not happen. Any alarm or fire emergency can cause panic, and as a result, fatalities can occur when people panic, more so than actual fire-related damages or deaths. It is human instinct, so taking every possible precautionary should be a collective responsibility to ensure that a tragedy does not occur. In case you were wondering, here are five of the most common causes of fires at the workplace:

Faulty Electrical Wiring
Loose and old wiring, exposed and faulty electrics as well as open electrical cables, switchboards and plugs are death traps and can cause fires very easily. Therefore, wiring and electrical equipment of all kinds should be up to date and not vulnerable to catching fire. Ideally, a thorough inspection of the building should be undertaken regularly and just to be on the safe side, a fire suppression system by co2 should also be installed if your offer does not come with a fixed sprinkler fire protection system installed.

Human Error
People make mistakes and one of these mistakes can lead to a fire emergency at the office. Mistakes such forgetting to turn off the microwave or forgetting to completely put out a cigarette or spilling water on electrical equipment also can cause a fire. Employee training in this regard is a must as well as installing additional portable fire extinguishers to prevent the spread of fire in case the sprinkler system is not activated on time.

Negligent Behaviour
In general, human negligence is a major source of at the workplace. If the offices have canteens and kitchens and employees use them to serve meals, make tea, coffee or the occasional snack and sometimes lighting a match or leaving the fire on can cause a full-blown fire to break out. In case something like this were to happen, it is a good idea to invest in a fire suppression system wet chemical for kitchen hood which can prevent fires in the office kitchen to happen. But if this installation is not possible, a “class F” fire extinguisher should be installed.

Deliberate Attempts
Arson can be a cause of the fire at work. Not everything is a result of human error and the fire can be deliberately set to hurt someone in particular or the general organisation. Factories are particularly prone to such incidents as well as those places which do not have any measures in place for employee safety, so to reiterate, safety, prevention and training is key.

Carelessness with Flammable Materials
Flammable and combustible materials are readily found in the workplace and can be the source of a fire emergency, so all employees should be careful while working. As a general rule of thumb, every workplace should have passed and incorporated the local fire laws and building inspection meaning that a fire prevention and emergent system should be in places such as a fire suppression system with clean gas or at least placing adequate numbers of portable fire extinguishers at various exits/entrances or strategic locations inside the office that can be used to put out fires.