Everyone in an organization has specific responsibilities when it comes to fire safety. If you know your responsibilities and take the right steps, you can protect your business and save lives. To learn more about creating your complete fire safety plan, download the Workplace Fire Safety Guide. Local fire and rescue services inspect the premises and may issue fire safety advisories informing you of any changes you need to make. Employers have a responsibility for health and safety. More than just employees. They need to train you. Provide equipment. PPE. Stay up.
Secure access. Safe working environment. Assess risks and establish controls. Maintenance of fire protection and prevention equipment Employers are responsible for keeping fire protection equipment functional. These include portable fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems that require regular inspection, maintenance and testing. Portable fire extinguishers that have been used once must be charged. Let`s break down the key aspects of workplace fire safety and describe who is responsible for ensuring that these aspects are met. Employers must ensure that they implement appropriate processes for the provision, inspection and maintenance of portable fire extinguishers, special hazard systems, emergency lighting and other fire protection equipment. You must provide your employees and anyone else working on your premises, such as contractors and their employers, with clear and appropriate information and instructions (and, where appropriate, training) regarding identified risks and fire safety measures. Occupational health and safety, etc.
The HSW Act 1974 is the first place we need to look around. The Act is the centrepiece of the Health and Safety Act because it applies to all workplaces of all kinds, all activities and allows for the coming into force of other health and safety regulations. In particular, it requires employees to use machinery, equipment, hazardous substances, means of transport, means of production or safety devices in accordance with the training and instructions provided to them. What is really another way of saying it is to work with employers. You must follow the instructions and training you have received. National Fire Protection Association – Provides information on fire safety and protection. It also has a number of standard fire safety laws and will send a copy to anyone who requests it. You must, to the extent possible, ensure the safety of your employees from damage caused by fire in the workplace and take reasonable steps to ensure their safety and that of others present or nearby. These measures should aim to avoid or reduce the risks identified.
We recently wrote about employers` legal health and safety obligations. And, of course, employers have health and safety obligations to their employees. But what about workers? Do they also have health and safety responsibilities? Employers are required by law to provide safe work environments and systems. Do they need to monitor and monitor? Yes. Are they supposed to be always and everywhere? No. According to OSHA, employers who provide fire protection equipment such as portable fire extinguishers and fire suppression systems must also train employees on how the equipment is working properly. It is your responsibility as an employer to train your employees in fire protection equipment at least once a year. So how can employees ensure they meet these legal requirements? Let`s take a look. You must work with your employer to the extent necessary to enable them to fulfill their fire safety responsibilities. You must cooperate with any other person responsible for fire safety on the same premises (including exchanging information about activities or measures taken, if any) and take all reasonable steps to coordinate your fire safety measures in relation to the premises. If you have 10 or fewer employees, OSHA does not require your fire safety plan to be in writing, but employees must be protected from fire hazards.
A workplace fire and fire safety plan that complies with OSHA regulations must include: The business has 5 or more employees, or the premises require a license or have received notice of change from the fire department. You have the right to the cooperation of your employees with respect to your fire safety functions and to have employees take reasonable care of their own safety and other persons who may interfere with their actions. Employees are not expected to be health and safety experts. They are not expected to be able to detect all health and safety deficiencies. However, they are expected to report anything that a person with their education and education would reasonably consider to be a lack or failure in health and safety. In its workplace inspections, OSHA does not expect that a person designated in the interest of health, safety, or welfare in accordance with any of the relevant legal requirements may intentionally or recklessly intervene or abuse. Based on the results of your fire safety risk assessment, you must take appropriate fire safety measures to ensure the safety of persons from damage caused by fire on premises to the extent of the control or obligations you have. Do employees also have health and safety responsibilities? In a word. Yes. Employees have legal health and safety obligations.
Not to the same extent or at the same level as employers, but always obligations. So how can employees ensure they meet these legal requirements? Let`s take a look. If you have any doubts about your legal obligations, you should seek independent legal advice. We have now covered the overall health and safety responsibilities of all employees. You may have other responsibilities. There are many other health and safety regulations that apply to certain occupational activities. You must ensure that a fire risk assessment record (electronic or paper) is maintained if you employ five or more employees (whether or not they are located on the premises), if you hold a licence (e.g. liquor licence) for the premises, if you are subject to registration (e.g. nursing home registration) or a notice of change requiring it to have been served by the authority responsible for the administration of the law relating to premises. Employers do not have the same health and safety responsibilities as their boss.
But you still have a duty of care to others around you. It doesn`t just mean your colleague or the person sitting next to you. This is anyone who may be affected by your acts (or omissions). If you build new premises or carry out construction work on existing premises, you must comply with the building rules. This also includes the design of fire protection in the proposed building or planned extension. What is not so clear, however, is who is responsible for fire safety in the workplace. What are the fire safety tasks of the employer and employee and what is managed by external service providers? They must ensure that the premises are equipped to an appropriate level, with escape routes (to ensure their safe use), fire detection and alarm installations, fire-fighting installations and provisions for action in the event of fire. In the worst case, fire can kill people and bankrupt businesses.