FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) confirms that Over 100,000 fires cases happens in non-residential buildings yearly, which result in companies losing billions of dollars in properties damages. It was also recorded that an average of 40 civilian injuries and four deaths causalities occurs yearly due to office property fires. This devastating experiences calls for the attention of company owners and manager to take proper measures to ensure their life safety and fire control and prevention facilities and equipment are installed correctly and maintained properly. This is to protect lives and properties from damages and losses.
Government agency do carry out inspection on organizations to ensure they have the required standard measures and equipment to combat fire emergencies. Failure in this could lead to sanctions of various kinds on the company. For this reason, organization do ensure their fire system and facilities are in good state.
It often challenging for companies to handle the different measures of inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) needed to ensure that the systems are up to code. The necessary requirements activities covers;
• Deciding on when testing is needed,
• Deciding on the accredited agency to contact to carry out the testing,
• Reviewing and Cross-checking the documentation and recording of the tests,
• And ensuring proper organization of all activities and facilities.
All these are what bearing the cost, as against the cost that a fire disaster may incur.
What Is Fire Safety Inspection?
Fire safety inspection is an activity carried out by the fire department to assess and analyze the potential fire safety hazards in a building or organization workspace. The inspections draws out risks and possible hazards in the building or facility, which are documented as report after the inspection and to be remedied by the company or occupancy. The type of inspection and frequency of inspection depends on the environment the building, structure or installation is located. Relevant laws and local government regulations enforcement for the type of industry or building occupancy is also a factor that determines the kind and frequency of inspections.
Fire Safety inspections should be handled diligently as lives and valuable properties are on the line. As a reason of this, it is highly recommended that experts with knowledge and experience of the applicable codes, regulations and standards are contacted for the inspection, before the visit of government agency in charge. This is will enable the organization to meet up with the government inspection requirements instead of being penalized and requested to fix problems that could have been resolved in the first place.
Surprise visits do happen, just like the surprise health inspections that occur in food-processing industries. For the surprise visits, it’s always good to be prepared and up to date on maintenance and fire protection initiatives.
The facility or company under inspection are required to meet a set of standard codes as fire safety is concerned. These codes include:
• Fire detection and alarming systems,
• types and operational state of sprinkler systems and fire extinguishers,
• means of egress (exist) and emergency signage etc.
The following areas of a building or facility are generally examined in the inspection process:
• Exists are safe and free of any hazard and obstruction
• Extinguisher and fire protection systems are functioning and durable
• Electrical safety factors are examined e.g. load, temperature, earthling etc.
• Appliance and mechanical devices operating status
• Storage, combustible materials and overall housekeeping
• Signage and miscellaneous or special requirements etc.
A certificate is usually issued to the owner or occupancy about the clearance or no-objection if the structure or facility is considered safe from fire and safety hazards.
Benefits Of Fire Safety Audit
Fire safety audit is an essential operation of ensuring a safe workspace. There are many benefits that comes with auditing your facility or company fire safety. Some of them include:
• A safer workspace or residence for workers or inhabitants.
• A safer building for clients, visitors or customers.
• Security from business interruption or closure: When a fire accident happens, business operations are likely to be ceased for a time, if not permanently. In case of fire outbreaks, a business or facility that have adequate code and safety measures in place will minimize damage and tend to resume operations quickly after a fire.
• Job security. Most of the facilities or organizations that have experienced a fire accident finds it difficult to operate again, which resulted to loss of jobs of the employees aside the loss on the part of the owner(s).
• Fire safety audit also helps organizations to identify and avert possible hazards, and loss of lives due to fire outbreak.
• Lower insurance rate are often available for those who adequately maintain and install fire protection systems.
Our Expertise in Fire Safety Inspection
CIL is an accredited agency for fire safety inspections and certification in India. We offer exceptional service in maintaining and examining fire safety systems and ensuring they are in the right order that exceed the expectations of government inspectors when they visit. Our services are also affordable and tailored to your budget, depending on whatever of our services you need to ensure safety of lives and properties in your organization or building.
