Warehouse Fire Safety.
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It is extremely important to have a list of warehouse fire safety procedures for staff to follow. Each staff member should review these frequently. You should hold monthly review meetings. The goal is for warehouse users to be confident about what to do in the event of a warehouse fire emergency. Planning, implementing and educating about warehouse fire safety procedures could save a life. Incorporate safety training into your regular operational procedures and training. Safety procedures and training are often handled as a separate issue. You’ll find it more effective to incorporate safety procedures into your specific task procedures and training. Issues related to clear flue spaces, sprinkler clearance, aisle clearances, evacuation plans, battery charging and propane cylinder handling should be part of the employee's regular training program.
The following are some requirements and recommendations that apply to many warehouse operations.
Smoking is prohibited in warehouses and no smoking signs are required.
Battery charging areas have specific code requirements including ventilation, acid neutralization, eye wash stations, and spill control systems.
Liquid Propane fuel cylinders used on LP forklifts should not be stored within 20 feet of fire exits and are limited to a maximum quantity of 300 lbs per storage location.
Fire Extinguisher Training. Employees should be trained on the use and locations of fire extinguishers. This is especially true of employees working in areas where there are known ignition sources.
Maintain open communication with your local fire department. Make sure the fire department is aware of the additions of high hazard materials to your warehouse or changes in storage configurations. If you do have a fire it’s extremely important that the fire fighters know what they are walking into.
Make sure additional precautions are taken during construction and maintenance projects. If you have contractors working in or around your building, make sure additional measures such as additional fire extinguishers are used, especially if work is being done on a roof or other area where fire extinguishers are not present. Also make special plans if you have to shut down the sprinkler system for any reason. You may need to shut down certain operations, provide supplemental fire protection, or provide physical 24 hr monitoring of the building during this period.
It is extremely important to make it absolutely clear to employees what they are expected to do in the event of a fire or the sounding of the fire alarm. The most common reaction by employees to the fire alarm sounding is to look to their supervisor to see if they should leave the building, or look to other employees to see what they are doing. Employees should be informed that whenever they hear the fire alarm they should immediately leave the building unless they have been given previous notification of an alarm test. It should also be made clear that they should leave through the nearest exit. Warehouse workers are usually not stationary so assigning a specific exit rarely applies. I recall an employee during a drill walking across the entire warehouse, passing several fire exits on his way to his “assigned” exit. Now I would certainly hope that had the employee seen an actual fire, he would not have walked into it to get to his assigned exit, but “you never know”. Also, if employees are required to perform certain tasks prior to leaving the building, such as shutting down a piece of equipment, they should be given specific instructions on the task and also under what conditions they should perform the task and under what conditions they should immediately evacuate.
The following are some requirements and recommendations that apply to many warehouse operations.
Smoking is prohibited in warehouses and no smoking signs are required.
Battery charging areas have specific code requirements including ventilation, acid neutralization, eye wash stations, and spill control systems.
Liquid Propane fuel cylinders used on LP forklifts should not be stored within 20 feet of fire exits and are limited to a maximum quantity of 300 lbs per storage location.
Fire Extinguisher Training. Employees should be trained on the use and locations of fire extinguishers. This is especially true of employees working in areas where there are known ignition sources.
Maintain open communication with your local fire department. Make sure the fire department is aware of the additions of high hazard materials to your warehouse or changes in storage configurations. If you do have a fire it’s extremely important that the fire fighters know what they are walking into.
Make sure additional precautions are taken during construction and maintenance projects. If you have contractors working in or around your building, make sure additional measures such as additional fire extinguishers are used, especially if work is being done on a roof or other area where fire extinguishers are not present. Also make special plans if you have to shut down the sprinkler system for any reason. You may need to shut down certain operations, provide supplemental fire protection, or provide physical 24 hr monitoring of the building during this period.
It is extremely important to make it absolutely clear to employees what they are expected to do in the event of a fire or the sounding of the fire alarm. The most common reaction by employees to the fire alarm sounding is to look to their supervisor to see if they should leave the building, or look to other employees to see what they are doing. Employees should be informed that whenever they hear the fire alarm they should immediately leave the building unless they have been given previous notification of an alarm test. It should also be made clear that they should leave through the nearest exit. Warehouse workers are usually not stationary so assigning a specific exit rarely applies. I recall an employee during a drill walking across the entire warehouse, passing several fire exits on his way to his “assigned” exit. Now I would certainly hope that had the employee seen an actual fire, he would not have walked into it to get to his assigned exit, but “you never know”. Also, if employees are required to perform certain tasks prior to leaving the building, such as shutting down a piece of equipment, they should be given specific instructions on the task and also under what conditions they should perform the task and under what conditions they should immediately evacuate.