Protecting your office building and employees should be your priority as a business owner. You can do this by making sure that your office building is safe from fires, water damage, pests, and many other things. Protecting your workers and the physical structures associated with your company is part of owning a business.
But fire safety is more than about ensuring the lives of your people and the safety of your investments. It’s also about protecting your clientele. Simply ensuring that your building has the right power cables from Singapore or other countries will go a long way toward securing your property, employees, and customers. Imagine what your customers will feel if a fire breaks out in your office building? On top of it all, it is a legal requirement to have secure electrical lines.
Check Your Lines and Equipment
Make it a point to have a licensed electrician check your electrical wires regularly. An office will usually have at least each of the following: photocopier, computer, printer, air conditioner or heater, lamps, and many other electronic devices. You should take the time out to check the equipment if it is still working. Do not use faulty devices. They can cause a fire to break out. Don’t also plug all devices into one socket. If you see employees doing that, tell them off.
Test Your Fire Detection Warning System
You may have a smoke detector, but when did you last test it? Is it actually working? Test your smoke detectors at least once a month. Make sure that everyone in the office can hear it and knows what to do.
Train Your Employees
Fire drills are important to train your employees on where to go and what to do during an actual fire. Show them where the exit doors and fire extinguishers are. Assign a person to call 911 so that you wouldn’t all be clogging the telephone lines. Someone should also lead the employees into the exit doors. There should be a coordinated response to a fire breaking out in the office building.
Enforce No Smoking Policies
Whether you have flammable equipment in the office or not, there should be a strict no smoking policy indoors. A single cigarette butt can cause a massive fire. Your employees should be aware that smoking is a no-no in your compound. Put up no-smoking signs in your building for your other guests as well.
Check the Emergency Exits
You installed emergency exits and corridors when the office first got constructed. But when was the last time you saw these exit doors? Are you sure your people can still access these exit corridors, or are they blocked by old tables, chairs, and a myriad of things? The emergency exit routes should be accessible and passable at all times. It spells the difference between getting out of the building alive and getting trapped in there.
Every business owner must understand the importance of fire safety in the office. All employees must be properly trained in the right steps to take in case a fire breaks out. Even if your office has all the procedures and fire safety warnings installed, you cannot be 100% sure that the surrounding buildings will be as proactive as yours.