Fire safety should be a number one priority at all times but it is rarely more important than on a timber yard or construction site. The high volumes of wood mean that there is a huge amount of fuel which could easily prove deadly if not treated correctly. This article will consider 10 steps towards making your timber yard or construction yard fire safe.
1. Fire Safety Coordinator
Every building site or timber yard should have an appointed Fire Safety Coordinator. They will be responsible for maintaining fire safety best practice, liaising with local fire departments, and ensuring effective working order of all smoke alarms. The Fire Safety Coordinator will also be responsible for creating and then regularly updating the site fire safety plan.
2. Fire Safety Plan
It is essential to create a written plan which details everything that is being done on site in order to minimise the risk of fire. This plan should be updated regularly to comply with any projects or changes to the original plans. The Fire Safety Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that all workers understand and abide by the regulations in the fire safety plan.
3. Checking, Inspecting, and Testing
Regular fire checks should be carried out at all periods. At the end of each shift and throughout the night, checks for safety should be carried out. It is particularly important to make checks during public holidays when the incidences of arson are highest. It is also essential to carry out regular fire warning tests to ensure that everyone reacts appropriately when the fire alarm is sounded.
4. Communication and Liaison
The Fire Safety Coordinator should regularly liaise with the local fire department and invite them to carry out safety checks on the site. Allowing local services to conduct familiarisation tours of the site in advance of a fire could make a huge difference to their ability to stop the spread of the fire.
5. Promote Fire Safety
Fire safety should be promoted to workers and everyone on the site at all times. When a construction is completed it is essential to reiterate the safety measures installed in the construction. If a fire wall is breached or an escape route blocked then the fire safety features will become futile and this could cost lives.
6. Regularly Test Fire Detection System
The fire detection systems you install are designed to save the people inside, not the building. It is essential that the alarm is audible to all workers at all times, regardless of what machines they are operating. They must be regularly checked and tested so that they can be maintained in full working order.
7. Maintain Escape Routes
At all times during construction there should be two well maintained escape routes out of the building. Each escape route must be no longer than 35 metres before reaching either open air at ground level or an internal and fire protected stairwell.
8. Secure Site against Arson
It is essential to secure the site against arson. The majority of fires at construction sites are the result of malicious behaviour. To protect against arson, secure the site at all times, secure ladders to upper floors at the end of each day, and liaise with local fire departments to determine further protection methods.
9. Keep the Site Tidy
Rubbish and left over construction materials are more likely to set alight than the construction itself. By maintaining a tidy site, the risk of fire spreading from such wastage will be greatly reduced.
10. No Smoking
There should be absolutely no smoking at a construction site or timber yard at any time. Designate a smoking area well away from the construction or ban smoking materials completely. This ban must be rigorously enforced however.