5 Tips to Improve Fire Safety in a Retail Store

5 Tips to Improve Fire Safety in a Retail Store

When you’re running a retail store, there are many problems that may arise. One of the deadliest could be a fire. To help prevent one, keep the below points in mind.

Check for Old Wiring

When it comes to fires, there are only a few things that can cause them. A lot of the time, it’s either one or two culprits that are responsible. The main one would be loose wiring. The building that houses your store maybe old. You should regularly get it inspected to make sure wiring has not come undone. If there’s a loose, live wire, not only could a fire break out, but customers and staff could get electrocuted as well.

Thankfully, loose wires are easy to spot. You’d likely be able to get it removed before it becomes a problem.

Are Your Fire Extinguishers Working?

Let’s say worst comes to worst and a fire breaks out. With an extinguisher on hand, you’d be able to deal with it in seconds. It’s great if you have an extinguisher in your building. However, it may be old. You’re advised to test it out at least once a month.

The fire extinguisher shouldn’t be cheap either. Remember that it can save lives. You should go all out and invest in Herbert Williams fire protection equipment.

Moreover, they should be placed in spots that are easily accessible. There’s no point having them in areas that are difficult to get to.

Are Your Staff Trained?

If a fire breaks out, it can be swiftly handled if your staff is properly trained. There are many protocols and safety procedures that they need to know. But depending on where you live, a fixed method may be standardized.

You should regularly have training programs so that your employees become accustomed to the procedures. You can also see how they’d act if the situation arises, and correct anyone who doesn’t react the right way.

Fire Alarms

Fire alarms would keep everyone in the vicinity safe. When a fire is detected, the alarms would pull a switch and send a signal to the fire department, indicating that there is a fire. If you buy a quality alarm, it would be able to distinguish between false alarms and the real deal much better than cheaper versions. This prevents you from wasting the responders’ time.

As you can imagine, the alarms are especially useful when no one is around.

Sprinklers

A sprinkler system would deal with the fire if it’s small. Unfortunately, not all countries have made them mandatory for stores. If they’re necessary where you live, you’ll have to update them often. It’s a good idea to do it at least once or twice a year.

When it comes to keeping your store safe, there are quite a few things you can do. Fires are one of the most common issues that retail stores have to deal with. Something that would greatly reduce them would be looking for live wires. They’re not that hard to notice.

You can deal with the situation as quickly as possible by placing the fire extinguishers in spots that are easily accessible, and training your team how to act if a fire ever breaks out.