It is very rare for a fire to occur at the workplace. The odds of severe injury or death are very high if a workplace fire occurs in an unprepared building with people who don’t know what to do. However, the place must be prepared for such a case. According to Integral Fire Protection, Compulsory fire extinguisher training is one of the finest ways to ensure that your company is adequately equipped for a fire. In this article, let’s learn why it is important to have fire extinguisher training.
Importance of Fire Extinguisher Training
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Here are the five important reasons why fire extinguisher training is necessary for our safety:
1. It may be OSHA required-
Everyone should look at their emergency response policy if they’re not sure whether fire extinguisher training is required at their company or not.
Depending on the industry and its fire evacuation policy, some companies may require fire extinguisher training by OSHA.
If any person is required to use a fire extinguisher in case of a fire, they must have hands-on practice and fire extinguisher training. It is necessary for least those who are responsible.
Secondly, suppose your emergency plan does not state that all employees must immediately vacate the premises in case of a fire or a minor fire hazard. In that case, comfortable employees may use fire extinguishers.
In this circumstance, you may be obligated to conduct basic fire and fire extinguisher training. Quality training, on the other hand, it takes little time and may go a long way toward keeping your employees and property safe.
2. Ensure Employees Know How to Use a Fire Extinguisher
It is a good idea to provide fire extinguisher training outside of OSHA rules to ensure that your employees know how to use one. Even though fire extinguishers are required everywhere, many people have never used them.
Fire extinguishers are necessary for any building, office, or company, and it’s your best decision to make sure your employee knows how to use them.
The use of improper fire extinguishers can result in injury, failure to extinguish a fire, or even making a fire worse.
A little fire extinguisher training can go a long way toward ensuring that your personnel knows what to do if a fire breaks out in your commercial facility.
3. Teach Employees Which Fire Extinguisher to Use
Different types of fire extinguishers are used for different types of fires and business buildings. Each fire extinguisher is rated to put out a certain sort of fire, referred to as a fire class, which ranges from A to D. Each type of fire responds better to a unique chemical.
Employees who haven’t had sufficient fire extinguisher training are unlikely to know the difference and risk of using the wrong type of extinguisher in the current fire hazard.
Depending on the sort of fire, this could make it worse, endangering your staff and inflicting more damage to your property.
4. Save Lives and Protect Employees
When your workers properly know how to respond to a fire breakout, you’re doing everything possible to keep everyone secure. Fire extinguisher training teaches employees more than how to use a fire extinguisher.
It also educates them on current workplace fire dangers, how to respond efficiently, and keep everyone around them as safe as possible.
Fire extinguisher training teaches your employees how to use extinguishers and equips them with the tools and knowledge they need to protect themselves and others in the event of a workplace fire.
5. Minimizes Property Loss & Reduces Recovery Time
Finally, fire extinguisher training can aid in reducing property loss and reduce the time it takes to recover from a workplace fire.
Employees who understand using fire extinguishers correctly can quickly suppress and extinguish workplace fires.
This helps to keep the overall damage to a minimum. And, because the damage is minor, it will take less time to complete repairs, allowing everyone to return to work swiftly and safely.
Are There Any Exemptions?
Two exceptions are here:-
When the employer has prepared and executed a documented fire-safety policy that requires all employees to leave immediately in the event of a fire.
When the organization has an emergency plan that allows only some workers to use the fire extinguisher.
How Does The Training Tackle The Different Types Of Fire Extinguishers?
According to OSHA, we will assess the facility (if we are not already aware of it) before training to establish the types of extinguishers accessible. We will discuss what is exactly in their facility during the training.
If the training involves a live fire and the customer wants to use something other than the standard ABC/BC units, we can use alternate types of fire extinguishers to show them to the customer (except for certain clean agents).
During the classroom presentation, all of the different types of fires are discussed, as well as the many extinguishers that can be used to combat them.
We also discuss what not to do, such as using a pressured water unit to extinguish an energized electrical fire.
What Are the Other Resources Available For Fire Extinguisher Training?
The owner’s manual is a straightforward resource. They usually discuss the many sorts of fires and which extinguishers should be used in each one. The Ansul simulator, the Bullex unit, and a live burn are examples of fire training.
These tools enable training to be delivered either indoors or outdoors, depending on local requirements and customer demand.
Is Fire Extinguisher Training Required By Osha?
Yes, a person must learn how to use a fire extinguisher and the type of fire to use accordingly. This is because, in cases of emergency, one can extinguish a fire and stop it from spreading, thus saving property and lives.
What Is The Purpose Of The Training?
According to OSHA, workers should be trained to know when to use a portable fire extinguisher and how to use it appropriately
What Does The Training Include?
The employer must conduct an instructional program to familiarise personnel with the broad principles of fire extinguisher use as well as the hazards associated with firefighting in the early stages.
How Long Is The Certification Good For?
For a commercial business, certification should be done on an annual basis.
Final Talk
Finally, training is always helpful, particularly when it comes to safety. It is good to learn the functioning of a fire extinguisher as it is for our benefit. In emergencies, it will extinguish small, controllable fires and prevent them from spreading and turning into big uncontrollable fires. In that case, you will have to call the firefighters. Learning the process of using a fire extinguisher is quite an easy task and will benefit us in the future.
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