How to conduct fire assessments – Gallagher

How to conduct fire assessments – Gallagher | Insurance Business Australia

Catastrophe & Flood

Common workplace fire hazards outlined

Catastrophe & Flood

By
Roxanne Libatique

With bushfires expected to occur in the summer, Gallagher has provided tips on conducting fire assessments and meeting business risk mitigation obligations.

In its latest blog, Gallagher reminded Australian businesses of their responsibility to conduct comprehensive fire risks assessments regularly to identify, assess, and mitigate workplace fire risk exposures. It warned that failure to prepare for fire risks could result in:

injuries and fatalities
emergency service providers receiving false alarms
property damage
business interruption and lost productivity
public and employers’ liability
increased insurance premiums
occupational health and safety issues

Commercial premises could also face regulatory fines and penalties if they failed to undertake regular fire risk assessments.

Common workplace fire hazards

Gallagher said businesses can prepare for fire risks by looking for common workplace fire hazards:

faulty electrical equipment
flammable and combustible materials
inadequate or inoperable fire safety equipment
natural hazards

“Although each working environment is different, there are a number of causes of workplace fires and common workplace fire hazards to watch out for. Business owners and operators are advised to schedule regular assessments of potential fire hazards and work on ways to eliminate or reduce the attendant risks,” Gallagher said.