Business Safety

Fires in the workplace can have a devastating effect on businesses through loss of working hours, stock, property and potential injury or loss of life.

In 2022, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service attended 385 fires at commercial buildings in Essex. 122 of these fires (32%) were caused by an electrical appliance or supply.

Follow our simple tips to reduce the risk of avoidable electrical fires at your workplace:

Include electrical fire safety in your risk assessment

Ensure electrical equipment is installed and maintained by a competent person

If in any doubt over the safety of your electrics/electrical items, seek immediate advice from a qualification electrician

Use the correct fuse rating, and don’t overload your plug sockets

Complete regular visual inspections to look for overloading, overheating cables, defective wiring and equipment, bunched or coiled cables or impaired cooling fans

Fixed Wire Testing - sometimes known as ‘hard wired testing’, Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) or periodic inspection, is an essential part of a businesses maintenance regime. It shows you're maintaining your businesses electrical installation, as it tests the overall circuit and wiring integrity. It is not a legal requirement in itself, but under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. 

Fixed Wire Testing should be carried out every three to five years depending on the nature of your building, the environment and the type of electrical installation you have.

Fixed Wire Testing must be conducted by a competent electrician and will result in you receiving a report (EICR – Electrical Installation Condition Report), which is your evidence to show the maintenance of your electrical installation has been carried out. This Report will also identify any areas of concern where you need to take action and remedy.

Portable Appliance Test (PAT) - should be included in your business maintenance regime and carried out by a competent person.

You should carry out a visual inspection of every electrical appliance to check for damage, wear and tear, faults and overheating. Some appliances will also require an earth continuity test and insulation test.

After the PAT, a sticker should be placed on the appliance which will state when it was tested. Labelling, as well as keeping records, can be a useful management tool for monitoring and reviewing your maintenance regime and demonstrates to employees and authorities, such as the fire service, that a maintenance regime exists.

You should also receive a report as evidence of having maintained your electrical equipment. The report should identify areas of concern where you need to take action and remedy.

The frequency of inspection and testing depends upon the type of equipment and the environment it is used in. Further information on this is available through the Health And Safety Executive (HSE).

If you are unsure about your legal responsibilities for fire safety in your business, you can try out the Business Fire Safety Awareness Tool to check your knowledge. 

You can take part in an interactive walkthrough to understand your legal duties for fire safety in the workplace.

How the tool works

• This tool is an interactive virtual tour around fictional premises.
• It's designed to give you an overview of fire safety responsibilities following a fire risk assessment on your premises. 
• As you move around the virtual workplace, you'll see potential issues to spot and correct.
• The tool will also ask you fire safety questions to test your knowledge.
• This tool is for general fire safety awareness in the workplace, it is not intended as training tool for completing a fire risk assessment. If you need guidance on your fire risk assessment, please read our guidance on fire risk assessments. 

The tool was designed by the National Fire Chiefs Council to help business owners learn more about fire safety. 

Start the Business Fire Safety Awareness Check now.

Q. What fire safety training should I give my staff?

It is the responsibility of employers to ensure that their staff are adequately trained on what to do in the event of a fire. Training should be given upon induction and preferably a second time within the first month of employment. Refresher training should be given at least once a year.

Training should be undertaken by a competent person. and a record kept in some form of logbook. It can be carried out in house, or by a reputable company.

Fire instruction should be given to staff in respect of the following:

• Discovering a fire
• Hearing the fire alarm
• Assembly points
• Calling the fire service
• Use of fire extinguishers

Q. What firefighting equipment do I need?

You have the responsibility for the providing appropriate firefighting equipment that is in the correct location and in good working order.

Staff should be trained to use all the available firefighting equipment in your premises.

Fire extinguishers
There are different fire extinguishers for different types of fires:

• Class A - fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper or textiles
• Class B - fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel or oils
• Class C - fires involving gases
• Class D - fires involving metals
• Class F - fires involving cooking oils such as deep fat-fryers

Typically for the Class A fire extinguishers, you should provide one extinguisher for every 200m² of floor space with a minimum of two extinguishers per floor.

Fire blankets
Fire blankets should be located in the vicinity of the fire hazard they are to be used on, stored somewhere safe and easily accessible in the event of a fire. They are classed as either light duty or heavy duty.

Q. How often do I need to test firefighting equipment?

The maintenance of firefighting equipment is one of the management's most important considerations in any premises. There is a serious legal and moral obligation to maintain a good standard of all firefighting equipment and to get them checked regularly. Records of maintenance and checks should kept, ideally in the form of a fire safety log book which is available ot download at the bottom of this page.

Q. Do I only need to consider the safety of employees when undertaking a fire assessment?

No, you must consider any persons using your premises such as:

• Contractors
• Visitors
• Members of the public
• Any other persons who may be affected by your activities.