Fire safety, what are the benefits?

There are many benefits of fire risk assessment and management, and I regularly come across businesses across Belfast and further afield that have not taken any measures to protect their business or property from a fire!
One of the reoccurring reasons is the lack of the knowledge of the requirements in NI fire safety legislation. The need to comply with legislation and the need to complete a fire risk assessment are important in terms of legal requirements and every employer / landlord should do these as a matter of routine.

But the benefits if a positive attitude towards fire safety can benefit the business and employees in a number of ways!

So firstly is a positive fire safety culture. This can be seen by the employees during the fire risk management from testing fire alarms and emergency lighting to them seeing the extinguisher engineer in completing the annual maintenance. Staff will see their welfare being considered and protected by the employer.

Also to be considered is what a well-trained employee can do during a fire. Staff who have completed a fire training course will be more likely to use an extinguisher, therefore, saving lives by increasing evacuation times and limiting damage to the business!

A business with good fire safety management is less likely to suffer from a fire and the subsequent closure, lost production, personal injury claims and lost stock

If your business is badly damaged or destroyed in a fire, could you cope financially to reopen and pay the employees wages during the rebuilding?

If your insurance company can see that you as an employer were proactive in term of safety management, they are more likely to pay in full for the insurance claim!

This definitely suggests that prevention is better than the outcome!

Make sure your fire risk assessment is up to date and that you are completing the required tests and keeping records!!