• Heat producing equipment such as burners, heat exchangers, boilers, ovens, stoves, and fryers should be regularly cleaned, serviced, and maintained. Planned, preventative maintenance programmes should be in place to ensure that equipment is in good order to ensure that is cannot acts as a source of ignition (for example, over-heating, static sparking, or electrical malfunction). In addition to personal injuries, several fires each year are caused by faulty portable electrical appliances. These are often the result of overheating, due to inadequate maintenance or improper use. For example: • Damaged cables or plugs • Loose connections or taped joints • Use of incorrectly rated fuses An adequate system of electrical maintenance for portable electrical appliances will typically involve: • Ongoing visual checks, by the equipment’s user • Periodic, formal checks, by a competent, qualified person • A programme of combined inspection and testing Visual checks of the external surfaces of the appliance, including its cable and plug, by the user, either prior to use or on a daily basis can identify obvious signs of damage as soon they become apparent, thus avoiding a potentially hazardous situation developing. Designated Smoking Areas In the UK, Legal restrictions regarding smoking in workplaces and public places were introduced in 2007. Employers are required to display 'No Smoking' signs at all entrances to the premises and also in any vehicles. Some organisations provide designated smoke areas for those that do smoke. These areas must be in areas where smoke does not drift into any buildings or in any areas where non-smokers may be exposed. Employers are not obliged to provide external smoking shelters for employees or visitors, but the provision of such shelters can help to prevent accidental fires occurring from disregarded cigarettes from workers who may be tempted to smoke in non-designated smoking areas. Any designated smoking area should be in a safe place and not in close proximity of any combustible material, flammable, or explosive atmospheres. If a smoking shelter is to be provided it should not be substantially enclosed. This usually means that no more than 50% of the shelter should be enclosed, which is usually achieved by having sides of the shelter being open while still having a roof on to provide shelter. To prevent the build-up of litter and any discarded cigarette butts becoming potential ignition sources, fire-proof cigarette bins should be provided. These are usually free-standing, and the design limits the flow of oxygen to safely extinguish cigarettes. The shelter should be regularly inspected to ensure that the bin is being used and emptied before it becomes full.
©SHEilds – All rights reserved FCV3 JUN 2021
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