Construction - Fire Safety

Workplace fires and explosions kill 200 and injure over 5,000 workers each year. In 1995, over 75,000 workplace fires cost businesses over $2.3 billion. "Fires wreak havoc among workers and their families and destroy thousands of businesses each year, putting people out of work and severely impacting their livelihoods," said Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich (1996, October 8). "The human and financial toll underscores the serious nature of workplace fires."

A "fire plan" should be set up prior to beginning a demolition job. This plan should outline the assignments of key personnel in the event of a fire and provide an evacuation plan for workers on the site.

BUILDING FIRE EXITS

• Each workplace building must have at least two means of escape remote from each other to be used in a fire emergency.
• Fire doors must not be blocked or locked to prevent emergency use when workers are within the buildings. Delayed opening of fire doors is permitted when an approved alarm system is integrated into the fire door design.
• Exit routes from buildings must be clear and free of obstructions and properly marked with signs designating exits from the building.

• Each workplace building must have a full complement of the proper type of fire extinguisher for the fire dangers present, excepting when companies wish to have workers evacuate instead of fighting small fires.
• workers expected or anticipated to use fire extinguishers must be instructed on the dangers of fighting fire, how to properly operate the fire extinguishers available, and what procedures to follow in alerting others to the fire emergency.
• Only approved fire extinguishers are permitted to be used in workplaces, and they must be kept in good operating condition. Proper maintenance and inspection of this equipment is required of each employer.
• Where the employer wishes to evacuate workers instead of having them fight small fires there must be written emergency plans and employee training for proper evacuation.

• Emergency action plans are required to describe the routes to use and procedures to be followed by workers. Also procedures for accounting for all evacuated workers must be part of the plan. The written plan must be available for employee review.
• Where needed, special procedures for helping physically impaired workers must be addressed in the plan; also, the plan must include procedures for those workers who must remain behind temporarily to shut down critical plant equipment before they evacuate.
• The preferred means of alerting workers to a fire emergency must be part of the plan and an employee alarm system must be available through out the workplace complex and must be used for emergency alerting for evacuation. The alarm system may be voice communication or sound signals such as bells, whistles or horns. workers must know the evacuation signal.
• Training of all workers in what is to be done in an emergency is required. companies must review the plan with newly assigned workers so they know correct actions in an emergency and with all workers when the plan is changed.

• companies need to implement a written fire prevention plan to complement the fire evacuation plan to minimize the frequency of evacuation. Stopping unwanted fires from occurring is the most efficient way to handle them. The written plan shall be available for employee review.
• Housekeeping procedures for storage and cleanup of flammable materials and flammable waste must be included in the plan. Recycling of flammable waste such as paper is encouraged; however, handling and packaging procedures must be included in the plan.
• Procedures for controlling workplace ignition sources such as smoking, welding and burning must be addressed in the plan. Heat producing equipment such as burners, heat exchangers, boilers, ovens, stoves, fryers, etc., must be properly maintained and kept clean of accumulations of flammable residues; flammables are not to be stored close to these pieces of equipment.
• All workers are to be apprised of the potential fire dangers of their job and the procedures called for in the employer's fire prevention plan. The plan shall be reviewed with all new workers when they begin their job and with all workers when the plan is changed.

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