April 7, 2020 Fire Prevention Tips For Warehouse Managers

Managing a warehouse means dealing with a wide variety of situations and incidents in a proactive manner.

One of the most devastating disasters that can occur in any warehouse is a fire. A fire can leave you without a warehouse, stock and even team members.

As fire prevention is vitally important for warehouse managers, here’s some practical advice on how you can keep your warehouse safe from fire.

Keep Your Warehouse Secure

Studies have shown that the majority of warehouse fires are set deliberately, which is why you need to create a vigilant security procedure for the property you manage. Work with both external security teams and your staff to ensure that there are no gaps in your security through which an arsonist could enter.

Train Staff On Fire Safety Protocol

Every warehouse needs to have a comprehensive fire safety plan and rules to reduce the chances of a fire being started because of staff carelessness. Make sure that fire safety procedures are a key part of your new employee onboarding process, and that refresher courses are provided regularly to all team members.

Install Passive Fire Protection Solutions

You may have focused on the active fire protection solutions, but it’s crucial that you don’t neglect passive fire protection. These products are built into the structure of your property and designed to reduce the chances of a fire taking hold, as Nullifire explain here. Explore the passive fire protection products on the market to ensure that if a fire does start, your property is as safe as it can be.

Conduct Regular Risk Assessments

Warehouses change on a daily basis, with new team members working and new stock being bought in for storage. As such, it’s crucial that you conduct regular risk assessments to review if any changes are needed to your warehouse’s existing fire prevention policy are required. Work with your warehouse’s fire officer and bring in external consultants for major developments to ensure that your warehouse is always safe.

Practice Fire Drills Every Month

Fire drills might seem like a waste of time, but they’re a crucial part of your staff training. They also allow you to review whether your fire evacuation action plan is workable or if it needs amending to suit your team. Drills should be conducted once a month and should be treated as if they were a real fire situation. Make your team aware of the seriousness of these events to ensure that everyone acts professionally and is completely prepared for a real-life fire.

Set Up A Smoking Area Away From Your Warehouse

Cigarettes are a common cause of warehouse fires, so you need to make sure that you keep your warehouse safe. There are several ways you can reduce the chances of cigarettes causing a fire, including creating a smoking area that is a safe distance away from your warehouse. You should also consider providing staff who smoke with support to help them quit, so that you can reduce the number of employees bringing smoking paraphernalia onto your property and smoking it nearby.

Subscribe to Industry Today