Many of the working Australian population will never encounter a fire in their place of work. But this does not mean that fire safety in the workplace should be taken lightly. Workplace fires always pose a substantial threat to people’s safety, largely because there is no method of predicting when a fire will occur or what a fire will do.

It is precisely this element of unpredictability that necessitates you and your staff members to perfect your fire emergency procedures in the workplace. A dedicated approach to fire safety training could potentially save countless lives.

What is fire safety training?

Fire safety training increases participants’ awareness of possible fire hazards, and demonstrates how fire emergency procedures in the workplace should be correctly undertaken. Training of this nature should also discuss how best to develop fire evacuation procedures in the workplace.

Responding quickly to a fire, in the workplace or otherwise, is essential. Staying calm, alerting those around you, and assessing the situation is the first step to keeping colleagues safe. If the fire is one that can be controlled, and there is someone present who has been trained to correctly operate a fire extinguisher, then fighting the fire may be a valid option. However, it is imperative that fire extinguishers are operated exclusively by designated, trained individuals. There are five basic types of extinguishers that are designed to combat specific types of fires, meaning a simple error made in haste can have disastrous results.  Therefore, it is arguably more imperative to have a fire escape plan in place. Having fire evacuation procedures in the workplace gives your employees opportunities to familiarise themselves with the safest way to exit the building.

Workplace fire safety is a shared responsibility and if fire safety training is not regularly rehearsed, is not taken seriously, or employees consistently fail to attend training sessions, people’s lives could ultimately be at risk.