Uncontrolled fires can cause massive destruction to your commercial building, and in many cases, the damage will not be covered by insurance. In addition, fire poses a threat to human safety and animal life, it can also destroy expensive assets in a matter of minutes and also cause the loss of human life, this then becomes the responsibility of the owner.
For these reasons, you want to prevent the DANGERS of fire as much as you are capable.
Even if you have an up-to-date Building Warrant of Fitness, and your Fire Extinguishers are regularly maintained, and you have taken all necessary precautions with regard to fire prevention, your commercial building is still not excluded from the possibility of a fire.
In this article, we look at the top four causes of commercial fires. Keeping these common causes in mind, you may be better equipped to prevent a fire from occurring and disabling a fire before it gets out of control.
Smoking
You would think that with all the strict smoking laws in place and the popularity of ‘smoke safe’ solutions such as e-cigarettes, that smoking would no longer be a common cause of fires. But unfortunately, smoking contributes to many commercial fires every year. It is important that you implement very strict non-smoking policies in your commercial building.
Cooking Equipment
It is not only restaurants that suffer from fires caused by cooking equipment, but any type of commercial building that has cooking facilities for their staff. This is because when heat is combined with flammable products such as oil and grease, there is the risk of a fire. It is very important that cooking equipment is switched off and unplugged after use.
Heating Equipment
Heating equipment, like heaters and boilers, run the risk of overheating and resulting in a fire. This is why it is essential that you invest in regular maintenance checks and do not overuse heating equipment or leave it switched on when not in use.
Arson
As sad as it is, arson is one of the top causes of commercial fires. While some arsonists target particular buildings, many arsonists behave quite randomly, so you could be at risk even if you don’t have any pyromaniac enemies. Preventing intentional fires requires high levels of security. Cameras can alert you to illegal activity and help you identify the perpetrator.
Interested in receiving a Building Warrant of Fitness? Here at Fireaway, we provide advise, Building WOFs, evacuation plans, fire extinguisher supply and maintenance, and so much more. If you have any questions about our professional services, please feel free to get in touch with us today.