Fire Protection within the Hospitality Sector
With life returning to normal (or more normal than it has been for the last 12 months) protecting your customers and service users has never been more important.
Fire’s present one of the most significant risks to the hospitality sector. Aside from causing unimaginable damage bringing your business to a standstill, it can also damage your reputation and organisations brand. Nevertheless, with the right knowledge and procedures in place, you can alleviate the risk of a fire and protect your business allowing you to continue as you did before!
So, what are the main causes of a fire within the Hospitality sector?
Cooking equipment
Arguably one of the most common risks of a fire within any business is cooking equipment. Faulty or unsupervised equipment can destroy your business within seconds. According to the London Fire Brigade, 44% of all restaurant fires between 2015-2017 started from cooking. Kitchen fires are more likely to develop into a serious blaze causing obliteration and devastation for all involved. Not only can this be life threatening but irreparable damage could cost you your business.
Electrical appliance
All aspects of hospitality are full of electrical appliances, from hotel rooms containing microwaves, kettles, hairdryers etc. to cafés and bars with computers and tills. Faulty or damaged appliances can be another major risk when it comes to building fires. As always, regular checks and PAT testing will ensure that all electrical equipment is in good working order and the risks are considerably minimised.
Neglect is one of the biggest dangers with electrical appliances. If any damaged cables or crossed wires are not delt with efficiently and appropriately, you are severely increasing the risk of a fire within the premises.
Cigarettes
Although smoking has been banned indoors since 2007, many hospitality venues have designated smoking areas, sometimes even covered to protect smoking customers. But does smoking outside reduce the risk of a fire? In some instances, yes. Although not always. Cigarettes that are not disposed of correctly or left unattended drastically increase the risk of causing a fire.
Smoking is one of the single biggest killers of accidently fires. It is paramount that appropriate disposal bins are provided in order to reduce the devastating impact that a cigarette fire can cause.
What can you do to help?
Thorough Risk Assessments are essential for every business within the Hospitality sector. Regular and properly documented checks with rigorous implementation of policies are key to ensuring all staff are up to date and that everyone is aware of their responsibilities when working together to protect the business.
Effective Fire Protection in the form of Fire Doors, Cavity barriers and intumescent sealants within compartmentation is advised and regular Passive Fire Protection surveys are sensible in order to ensure full compliance and safety. Clear exit routes should be identified and easily accessible in the event of a fire to help protect life.
