When it comes to your business’s fire preparedness, take no chances! Fire safety equipment is crucial in any workplace environment. You must have a tested, functioning alarm system, fire extinguishers, and a comprehensive fire escape plan for your workplace in an emergency.
Maintenance of fire safety equipment is a significant responsibility for business owners. Regular upkeep of fire safety equipment should be consistently undertaken, ensuring compliance with the Australian fire standards.
Here is the ultimate guide to fire equipment maintenance for businesses, encompassing smoke alarms, extinguishers, fire blankets, egress plans, and more! Read on to ensure you’re up-to-date with fire safety standards and, if not, learn how to comply to protect your employees and business assets.
What is Fire Safety Equipment?
Fire safety equipment covers a broad area of equipment, both hand-held and battery-operated, typically found in the workplace. Broadly speaking, fire safety equipment in the workplace covers items such as:
- Fire extinguishers
- Fire blankets
- Smoke alarms
- A prominently displayed fire safety plan within the workplace
- Clearly marked fire exits, compliant with Australian fire safety standards building codes
Which Australian standard covers the maintenance of fire extinguishers?
For businesses, they must meet more specific legal requirements, as part of the Australian Fire Standards, one standard, known as AS 1851 Standard, governs the fire system maintenance and storage of fire safety equipment. All businesses must adhere to Australian fire standards and should always have the following fire safety equipment on-site.
- Fire alarms are installed and either hard-wired into the electrical system or routinely tested
and batteries replaced when necessary - Fire exit signage is posted near the fire exit doors
- At least one easily-accessible fire extinguisher is on-site and has passed inspection by a licensed
fire inspector - Your business location adheres to all Australian fire safety building codes, including having
multiple points of egress via doors, windows, and easy access to a fire escape
What Maintenance Does Fire Safety Equipment Need?
A certain fire equipment service is required by law and required by your business insurance company. This includes functioning, tested fire alarms and regularly inspected fire extinguishers. Common fire equipment maintenance involves:
- Visual inspections of fire blankets to check for signs of wear and tear. If present, replacements
will be necessary - Fire extinguisher maintenance is essential. Visual inspections of fire extinguishers to check for damage.
Similarly, a replacement will be required if signs of damage are present, such as a broken pin,
excess rust on the metal exterior, or a compromised lever system - Regular testing (once a month or so) of smoke alarms. If your smoke alarm goes off randomly, it’s
likely that its batteries are low and need to be replaced - Updating fire plans (as part of your fire equipment services) after any workplace layout changes
or renovations
Fire Maintenance Best Practices
Even though office fires are rare, comprehensive preparation is vital. Adhering to these fire equipment maintenance best practices will ensure the safety of your workplace and employees.
Check Your Smoke Alarm Systems Regularly
The primary fire safety equipment essential for offices is a smoke alarm. Typically powered by mains power, it’s crucial to conduct regular tests. Best practice involves biannual inspection by a qualified service technician.
Visually Inspect Your Fire Extinguisher For Signs of Damage
If your fire extinguisher is overdue for inspection and replacement is not yet feasible, visually examine it for signs of rust on the outer casing or damage to the pin, pull-tab, handle, and nozzle. Any fraying in the nozzle or breaks on the handle or pin could render your fire extinguisher ineffective during an emergency. Plan for immediate replacement. Avoid storing extinguishers in damp locations to prevent casing rust.
Have a Staff Meeting About Fire Planning
Conversations about potential disasters like fires are necessary for workplace safety. Practicing and understanding the necessary steps during an emergency is crucial. Educate all staff members about evacuation procedures, regardless of their location in the office.
Ensure employees know fire safety measures, including ‘stop, drop, and roll’ and know the nearest escape route. Familiarize all staff with the location of fire extinguishers and how to operate them effectively.
Inspect Emergency Lighting Systems
Certain offices might activate emergency lighting systems during power outages, common during fire incidents. Regularly visually inspect and test these systems to guarantee their proper functioning in emergencies.
3 Types of Fire Asset Management
When taking stock of your fire prevention strategies as a business, it’s important that you understand what ‘fire asset management’ is and how conducting proper fire asset management can improve your readiness in the event of a fire.
Below are the three types of fire asset management. These make up important parts of your fire system servicing and code of fire prevention.
Prevention and Preparedness Management
If you own a large-scale business with many employees, retraining and re-drilling them on fire prevention and fire safety equipment maintenance is always beneficial. Known as Prevention and Preparedness Management, this type of fire asset management should take place annually if not every six months.
Depending on your work environment and whether a fire has recently occurred (even a small one extinguished by an employee), you may need to frequently perform fire prevention and preparedness discussions and training.
The more prepared one is in the event, the less likely they are to panic and make rash, counterproductive and potentially fatal decisions.
Firefighting and Suppression Management
When it comes to firefighting and suppression management in the workplace, it’s important that your on-site teams always know the locations of fire extinguishers, as well as any other specialist equipment they may need, such as A-FFF foam for dealing with chemical fires, or the location of fire blankets. It’s also important that your staff knows when a fire is not their responsibility and when to get out of the building and let the professionals handle the situation.
Post-Fire Recovery and Rehabilitation Management
Suppose the worst has happened, and you’ve been unfortunate enough to have a major fire in your workplace or home. Understanding your options with your employer or business insurance company will play a key part in your post-fire recovery process.
Additionally, any rehabilitation that needs to take place on a personal level for injuries sustained during a fire, or mental health checkups for residual trauma from such an event must take priority over re-opening your workplace or battling with an insurance company for fire damage coverage for your business.
The Importance of Safety and Fire-Fighting Equipment
Learning how to use fire-fighting equipment safely and effectively is critical. Maintaining and regularly checking equipment like fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and smoke alarms reduces response time during a fire emergency.
Strategic Fire Safety Maintenance Schedules
When it comes to the maintenance of fire safety equipment, there is a schedule of maintenance typically printed onto your fire extinguisher or a recommendation from a smoke alarm manufacturer for when to replace your smoke alarm.
A strategic way of fire equipment maintenance could be replacing your fire extinguisher after each inspection cycle or replacing the batteries in your smoke alarm every six months. Or, if your smoke alarm has been going off randomly, it may be time to replace the entire unit. Monthly inspections of things like fire blankets and corresponding replacement, if necessary, is also important.
By maintaining a tightly adhered to maintenance schedule, you know that your equipment is always good to go in the event of a fire!
What Type of Fire Equipment Needs To Be Checked?
In general, you need to check the function of your fire extinguisher, smoke alarms, and emergency lights (if you have them).
Final Thoughts
Neglecting fire equipment maintenance in a business setting can have severe consequences. Proper assessment and replacement of equipment when necessary are critical for the safety of employees and the protection of business assets. Don’t overlook fire equipment maintenance; it could be a life-saving decision.
Contact our expert team today to discuss your needs. We provide a full range of services, including mechanical, and we work with clients from a range of industries.
