Page 39 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2019

FIRE SAFETY
Eliminate 10 Fire Hazards That May Be In Plain Sight
Smoke alarms, carbon dioxide detectors, and hazardous gas sensors need to be tested and sometimes calibrated regularly to ensure they will function properly when needed.
BY KAREN D. HAMEL
www.ohsonline.com
APRIL 2019 | Occupational Health & Safety 35
Fire departments across the nation respond to about 13 calls from business and industry ev- ery hour, according to NFPA estimates. That’s in addition to the average of 43 calls from
residential properties that come in hourly.
In total, these fires cause more than $13 billion in property damage and kill more than 3,000 people each year. Preventing workplace fires involves identi- fying the specific hazards that are present in the facili- ty, following local building and fire codes, and putting
plans in place to minimize potential fire risks.
At an everyday execution level, routinely check- ing for some of the most common causes of work- place fires and the injuries related to fires can help to reduce the need to be one of those 13 hourly calls to local responders. Each of these items can be added to daily, weekly, or other routine safety inspections that are already taking place, and most take less than two
minutes to check in an area.
Clutter
Good housekeeping is tied to a myriad of safety ef- forts, and fire prevention is certainly among them!
Dust, shavings, clutter, and waste that is permitted to accumulate in work areas does more than just look bad. It can increase the risk of fires and hide other se- rious safety hazards.
Providing adequately sized recycling and waste col- lection containers that are conveniently located to work areas facilitates regular removal of unneeded items.
Stocking the tools and supplies that employees need to keep their work areas clean and allowing time at the end of each shift for cleaning promotes house- keeping efforts, helps to minimize clutter, and keeps things in order. Hosting quarterly or bi-annual clean- out events can also help to eliminate outdated and unnecessary items from workspaces and keep clutter from piling up.
Improper Fire Extinguishers
Multi-purpose dry chemical fire extinguishers (Class A, B, C) are the most common type of fire extin- guisher used in workplaces. However, they won’t work on all types of fires. For example, they aren’t designed for fighting fires involving metals. In other areas, a carbon dioxide extinguisher may be advanta-
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