Warehouses and storage buildings are essential for many businesses and are frequently their most significant asset. They provide continuity of business operations and contain thousands of pounds of merchandise. The event of a fire can have a catastrophic impact, putting everyone on the premises lives at risk, and cause severe damage and disruption to your business. Many businesses never recover after a fire due to loss of income, reduced sales fulfilment and market share. Make sure to keep your warehouse safe in order to protect your staff and business.
According to the Home Office Fire Statistics, there were 3370 Primary fires in warehouses in England during the 10 years between May 2010 and May 2020. That is an average of twenty-eight fires per month. Therefore, it is essential that you have sufficient fire protection in place for your premises. Fires happen frequently. Scanning the local press in Coventry alone, shows several major warehouse fires during 2021. Frighteningly, warehouse fires don’t just occur in old buildings, some major fires have occurred in modern construction warehouses also in the Warwickshire area.
Here at JCH Safety, in addition to our health and safety services and wide range of training courses, we provide many fire safety and prevention services. These include Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Safety Policies, fire drills and evacuation procedures, and online and/or in-person fire awareness training for all your staff and Fire Marshalls.
We offer very competitive, fixed price services, with consultancy and site assessments conducted by a local, experienced, expertly qualified fire safety professional. We are members of prestigious health and safety organisations who govern the safety industry. These include the Institution of Fire Engineers, The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the Fire Protection Association, and The International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM). Furthermore we are registered with the prestigious Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR).
We have listed below five ways operational suggestions to help prevent a fire in your warehouse and minimise the chance of your business becoming part of the statistics.
- Ensure your warehouse is set up properly.
• Practice good, effective workplace housekeeping.
• Ensure storage areas are kept tidy.
• Keep forklift charger station areas clear at all times.
• Ensure bin stores are located away from the building. - Staff training.
• Basic Fire Awareness training for all staff will ensure they are aware of risks and can systematically and appropriately respond if a fire occurs.
• Have trained Fire Marshals on site, keep an active record of who is trained and always ensure appropriate marshals are available. - Manage stock and inventory.
• Ensure all hazardous substances on the premises are known about and are correctly assessed and stored.
• Keep flammable items safety stored.
• Prepare COSHH assessments and follow the guidance.
• Have an up to date DSEAR assessment (if required). - Install automatic fire detection
• Ensure appropriate detection devices are installed across all warehouse and office areas. Such as Heat detectors, Smoke detectors, Carbon Monoxide detectors and Multi sensors detectors.
• Ensure a qualified fire risk assessor specifies the level of detection required.
• Use reputable, competent fire alarm contractors and engineers. - Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment
• A Fire Risk Assessment for your business is required by law and should be carried out annually. This should be done by a competent, trained and experienced Fire Risk Assessor. The assessment will identify any fire risks or hazards which are present. This will help to determine what safety measures are needed to remove or reduce such risks.
JCH Safety works with many storage and logistic businesses across the Midlands region, why not join them and let us help you?
Remember, we can assist with fire risk assessments, health and safety services, policies, procedures and training. Feel free to contact us to find our more. We are always happy to hear from you!
You can find details of our Fire Safety Services here.
