Has your office space changed? Is there a new setup? Did you change the layout of the space to allow for social distancing? Are cubicles no longer where they used to be, or machinery moved to other locations in your building? Are employees working in different locations and do they know where all building exits are? When looking to bring employees back into the office, these questions have important safety implications.
There is a very good chance that your business fire safety and evacuation plan need to be changed and updated. The plan you have most likely was written for your old office space, but new furniture and equipment configuration create new obstacles for safe facility evacuation.
Do you work in a high rise? Most high-rise buildings have a designated “fire warden” on each floor who is responsible for ensuring that each floor is evacuated in the case of an emergency. This person would check around the office spaces, in cubicles, in the bathroom, and in the hallway to make sure everyone heard the emergency alarm and that no one was left behind during the evacuation.
Currently, not everyone is at the office and many will remain working from home or only come in part of the week. The result is that fire wardens may not be present at all times during the workday and in afterhours, which would cause serious issues if there were to be a fire. New, flexible plans must be created that adapt to the different individual people in office buildings and different overall employee numbers.
Let’s talk about your fire extinguishers. If you haven’t been working full time, when was the last time you had someone come in and do a full fire extinguisher inspection. Did you know that they should be checked thoroughly once per year by a professional to make sure they are charged, and not damaged? Additionally, with office layouts changing, it is important that the fire extinguishers are easily accessible and that everyone in the workplace knows where they are. Nothing is worse than needing a fire extinguisher and finding out during an emergency that it is not functioning properly.
Evans Brothers Consulting can help you take proactive action towards protecting your employees and your business from any potential fire hazards. There is so much to think about regarding returning to work and let us take some of that burden away and use our years of expertise to do a comprehensive building assessment and get you ready to work full speed ahead.
Take initiative today and contact info@evansbrothersconsulting.com or call 617-545-1500 to set up a short, no-cost, preliminary discussion.
No one knows Boston like the Evans Brothers!