A Hazard Common to ALL workplaces

One hazard that is common in all workplaces is fire. It may pose more of a risk and danger to some workplaces as compared to other workplaces; however, no workplace can completely rule out a fire ever.

Workplaces can take steps to reduce the risk of fire. They can work towards an effective disaster management plan that will help reduce the damage to lives and property that an incidence of fire could potentially cause.

  • Has your workplace put these plans into place?
  • Has a fire risk assessment been conducted and have the hazards been identified?
  • Have steps been taken to reduce these hazards?
  • Are there enough workers who are trained in fire evacuation procedures?

Not sure of what you are required to do at your workplace? With Alsco on hand, you have a friend to help you out. They will help you get through the complicated hoops of legislation. Connect with Alsco via phone, online chat or send them an enquiry.

Do you know that Alsco is a nationally recognised training organisation that provides Fire Warden and Evacuation Training? Get to know more about the training in this article.

The Problem of Fire

It is difficult to quantify the problem of fire. At offices, factories or other places in the work environment, fires have the potential to cause significant damage and effect

  • Human Lives
  • Property
  • Product and raw materials
  • Equipment and machinery
  • Data and information
  • The neighbourhood
  • The environment

If not addressed quickly and properly, fires cause disruptions in business, significant insurance claims apart from the damage to life and property.

What Do You Need to Comply With?

Every workplace is required to comply with the Work Health and Safety Act (WHS Act). Under the WHS Act, it is the duty of the employer or the person conducting the business unit to provide and maintain a healthy and safe working environment. This includes providing a safe system of work, information, training, supervision, and where appropriate personal protective equipment for fire.

The section on Responding to Emergencies in the Workplace Amenities and Work Environment Code is relevant for dealing with the hazard of fire.

For safety while transporting flammable goods and substances, the Dangerous Goods Act and Regulations come into play, particularly the section on Dangerous Goods.

A guidance note by Work Safe Australia on Emergency Management – Developing a plan for a small organisation is also relevant. It advises small businesses on how to prepare a workplace emergency management plan. It includes advice about responsibilities, fire protection equipment, chemicals, first aid as well as the follow-up required after an incident.

The National Construction Code of Australia was given regulatory status in May 2015. It applies to all commercial buildings across the country. The Code is based upon a number of Australian standards and specifies requirements in terms of the number of exits, their dimensions, the signage required and more.

Apart from the above regulations, workplaces also have to be mindful of the various standards which deal with fires and the control of fire. These standards also provide advice which ought to be complied with in order to provide a safe work environment at offices.

Confused About Compliance?

Given the number of regulations and standards that Australian workplaces and, more specifically, their owners need to comply with, it is of little wonder that many businesses are confused about what they need to do in order to be fire safety compliant.

Welcome to Alsco Registered Training. We cater to make your business safer while helping you with your compliance needs.

Making Compliance Easier

Alsco helps workplaces with the different aspect of their fire safety compliance. They

  • conduct a fire safety audit,
  • help you conduct risk assessments,
  • assist in developing emergency plans for evacuation and other procedures to be followed in the event of a fire,
  • train on how to manage an emergency situations, and
  • provide tailored training packages to meet the varying requirements of different workplaces.

The Alsco Difference – An Online Administration Tool

Alsco’s Managed Training Services provides you with an online administration tool that lets you store valuable training related information digitally.  The tool goes beyond just storing information.

It interprets the stored information and triggers alerts for actions necessary to maintain training certification. With this handy reminder tool, you need not have to bother about remembering when people from your office are due for training or who needs to go for what training. All this is done for you by the tool.

Powerful tracking tools automatically store and update information whenever employees attend an Alsco-certified training course. Reminder alerts prompt for refresher courses or updated training before any certification lapses.

The online tool is a multi-location, multi-user tool, tool. People can log in from across different branches or even at an individual level. Tracking for different sites/workplaces is done individually and is ideal for customers with multiple sites.

Also, catering to the most commonly neglected parts of Workplace compliance codes, Alsco’s incident reporting tool offers an easy interface to report on any treatments applied or incidents occurred.

This information is held centrally in a dossier for OH&S management to access retrospectively when needed.

Moreover, incident reports generate information that can be analysed by Alsco’s team of experts in order to continually update a workplace’s requirements based on accurate assessments of risk.

Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training – A RACE to Make You Safer

Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training fire training principles are governed by the RACE acronym. These are:

Remove – help anyone in danger if you can do so safely,

Alert – raise the alarm first phone the fire brigade, break  manual call point, then contact the company’s switchboard and notify the staff person in charge of fire safety,

Contain – if practicable, close windows and doors to prevent the fire spreading, and

Extinguish – if trained to do so and if it’s possible. Then follow instructions from Fire Wardens and if requested, evacuate the building following any company procedures.

Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training protection starts from the ground up, including regular checks on documentation regarding fire safety protection equipment.

Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training also identifies potential threats to fire safety – often referred to as fire hazards – and offers solutions to minimise the effect of fire. Advising the client of any risks re the likelihood of a fire starting or dangers that might obstruct an escape route if a fire occurs.

Overall, the Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training can construct a comprehensive, tailored training and fire safety plan that complies with local building codes.

Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training ensures the occupants of each building – owner or lessee – have all the required information on the maximum occupancies for each part of the structure, plus maintenance of fire exits and powered signage (for example illuminated Exit signs must remain lit for a period of 90 minutes in the event of a power outage.

The Alsco Fire Warden & Fire Safety Training can conduct fire drills at regular intervals throughout the year and can supervise and evaluate your regular evacuation drills.

If you have questions about how to improve fire safety at your business or want to arrange a site visit or fire warden staff training, call 1300 651 706.

 

Image Courtesy: Michael Coghlan