With Bonfire Night now here, there’s no better time than the present to prioritise fire safety in the workplace and ensure that you’re fulfilling your obligations in this regard.

As an employer, you’re legally required to carry out fire safety risk assessments and keep these records up to date, making sure that the appropriate fire safety measures are implemented to minimise the risks of injury or loss of life if a fire does break out.

The majority of fires are preventable through adoption of the right processes and procedures – and this includes making sure that your employees are aware of their own personal responsibilities when it comes to keeping themselves and others safe.

 

Occupant complacency

New research published in the Humanities & Social Sciences Communications journal indicates that death and injury as a result of workplace fires are frequently linked to occupant complacency, where people fail to evacuate promptly when they perceive an alarm.

The study emphasised the importance of solid leadership and engagement as important components of a robust fire safety culture, fostering the knowledge, perceptions and attitudes that promote safe behaviour during the pre-movement phase of fire evacuations.

Where strong organisational leadership is in place, reinforced continually by awareness-raising activities, training and regular fire drills, occupant mindset can be influenced so that when alarms are perceived, they start to move to safety.

It was also found that workplace fire safety training has to be related to the risk and if training/awareness is unaligned with this, training to reduce occupant complacency may hinder the development of positive behaviours over time.

When organisations successfully manage occupant complacency during fire evacuations at work, the risk of death during evacuation can be reduced – and the study goes on to recommend that you come up with a method to measure the timing of complacency, with a view to reducing this to under three minutes.

 

Fire awareness

Of course, this isn’t the only aspect of fire awareness training that you should prioritise and if you’re keen to address this safety topic in full, you’ll find that we have a range of different fire-related courses available here at ACT Associates.

The NEBOSH fire certificate was recently updated to reflect the needs of the modern workplace, with a new revised syllabus and a more accessible method of assessment, making it even easier to prioritise workplace health and safety in the 21st century.

Gaining this qualification will help you develop your understanding of fire safety and apply it to any organisation in any sector. 

You’ll gain a more in-depth understanding of the principles of fire and explosion protection and prevention, as well as being able to advise others on how fires and explosions take place, and carrying out effective fire risk assessments in low to medium-risk workplaces.

If you’d like to build your health and safety knowledge further, our NEBOSH General Certificate course is a great place to start. It’s designed for anyone looking to develop practical skills and gain a respected qualification in workplace safety. To find out more, get in touch with the ACT team today.