The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) says that more than 3,500 Americans die each year in fires, and approximately 18,300 are injured. Many of these deaths and injuries occur in the home, which is why your employees need a home fire escape plan.
The theme of next week’s Fire Prevention Week is “Protect Your Family from Fire.” To mark the observance, you might wish to have a safety meeting about family fire escape plans, which USFA says will greatly reduce fire deaths and protect workers and their families in the event of a home fire.
In the event of a home fire, time is the biggest enemy and every second counts, says USFA. In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with thick black smoke and become engulfed in flames.
Practice Makes Safe
USFA says the best family escape plans provide two ways to get out of each room. If the primary route is blocked by fire or smoke, a second route out is essential. A secondary route might be a window onto an adjacent roof or a collapsible ladder for escape from upper story windows.
Employees and their families should practice their escape plans once a month. Part of the monthly fire drill should include practice for all family members in feeling their way out of the house in the dark or with eyes closed to prepare for actual fire conditions in which there may be smoke and lack of light.
Checklists keep your workplace and your workers safe. See how with the award-winning Safety Audit Checklists program from BLR. Try it at no cost and no risk plus receive a free special report. Get the full story.
Evacuation Procedures
When a fire occurs, USFA urges families not to waste precious, live-saving time trying to save property. Family members should leave immediately and take the safest exit route. If escape through smoke is required, they should crawl low, under the smoke and keep their mouths covered. Smoke from a fire contains toxic gases that can disorient or, at worst, overcome people. It’s smoke inhalation that kills many people in home fires.
Designated Meeting Place
Designating a meeting location away from the home is another essential part of a family escape plan. This way family members who are separated during the escape can reunite and make sure everybody got out safely.
Other family fire emergency tips from USFA include:
- Escape first; then call 911.
- Never go back into a burning building for any reason. If a family member is missing, tell the firefighters. They are equipped to perform rescues safely.
- Teach children not to hide from firefighters.
- Have working smoke alarms installed on every level of the home, and test batteries need to be tested every month. Replace the entire smoke alarm every ten years, or as the manufacturer’s guidelines recommend.
Examine the best-selling Safety Audit Checklists program for 30 days at no cost —not even for return shipping. Try it now and receive a FREE special report! Get the details.
Workplace Fire Safety
Just as employees need to be prepared for fires at home, they must be prepared to respond quickly and effectively to workplace fires, according to your fire prevention and emergency action plans.
BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists can help you and your employees prepare for workplace fires. This comprehensive safety resource provides safety and health checklists on more than 50 essential workplace topics, including fire safety and emergency response
Each Safety Audit Checklists section contains:
- A review of applicable OSHA standards
- Safety management tips
- Training requirements
- At least one comprehensive safety checklist
Many sections also contain a compliance checklist, which highlights key provisions of OSHA standard. All checklists can be copied and circulated to supervisors and posted for employees.
All told, this best-selling program provides you with more than 300 separate safety checklists keyed to three main criteria:
- OSHA compliance checklists, built right from the government standards in such key areas as HazCom, lockout/tagout, electrical safety, and many more.
- “Plaintiff attorney” checklists, built around those non-OSHA issues that often attract lawsuits.
- Safety management checklists that monitor the administrative procedures you need to have for topics such as OSHA 300 Log maintenance, training program scheduling and recording, and OSHA-required employee notifications.
Make as many copies as you need for all your supervisors and managers, and distribute. What’s more, the entire program is updated annually. And the cost averages only about $1 per checklist.
If this method of ensuring a safer, more OSHA-compliant workplace interests you, we’ll be happy to make Safety Audit Checklists available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.
PingBack from http://www.rimonabantexcellence.com/t.php?aHR0cDovL3NhZmV0eWRhaWx5YWR2aXNvci5ibHIuY29tL2FyY2hpdmUvMjAxMS8wOS8yNy9lbWVyZ2VuY2llc19maXJlX2ZhbWlseV9lc2NhcGVfcGxhbi5hc3B4