It can happen in an instant; one spark, one combustion, or one overheated piece of equipment — a fire can start quickly and often stems from common workplace items or environments. Have you considered the devastating losses a commercial fire could cause your business?
A Year-Round Effort
National Fire Prevention Week serves to bring awareness to fire risks, but actively working throughout the year to prevent fires is the name of the game. Though the vast majority of non-residential fires are preventable, understanding the hazards that exist in the first place is where prevention truly starts. Strategies include:
- Conducting employee safety meetings on fire safety and common fire hazards at workplaces.
- Helping employees understand that each and every one of them has a responsibility to take an active role in fire prevention.
- Understanding the risks of not taking action when hazards exist — fires can result in life-changing injuries, death, property damage, smoke-damaged inventory, and lost revenue.
- Implementing regular safety meetings to brush up on safety topics, and staying in the loop with new ones.
Long-term Effects
Have you considered the long-term effects of a fire at your workplace? Forty percent of businesses do not reopen after a fire or other natural disaster.1 Even if you are able to reopen after a fire it will take time, and that may mean you and your employees are out of work until the building can safely be repaired and reopened. Not to mention that a loss of inventory or equipment can leave you scrambling to recover financially.
In order to help prevent potential property damage and life-changing injuries or death, work with your employees to help them understand the ramifications of a workplace fire. If you haven’t already, utilize Federated’s resources, available through mySHIELD®, to create a fire prevention plan. And keep in mind that teaching your employees about fire safety is one thing, but helping them realize the responsibility they each have in protecting their workplace can be just as important.
Work with your employees now to have successful fire safety meetings. The more information they have in their arsenal, the better they will be at detecting potential hazards and stopping a fire before it starts. Federated Insurance clients can access a variety of fire prevention risk management resources, including employee training posters, sample industry-specific fire hazard checklists, and more by logging in to mySHIELD.
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1. Insurance Information Institute. FEMA Information. www.iii.org/article/when-disaster-strikes-preparation-response-and- recovery. Accessed July 20, 2021.
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This article is for general information and risk prevention only and should not be considered legal or other expert advice. The recommendations herein may help reduce, but are not guaranteed to eliminate, any or all risk of loss. The information herein may be subject to, and is not a substitute for, any laws or regulations that may apply. Qualified counsel should be sought with questions specific to your circumstances. ©2021 Federated Mutual Insurance Company.
