Workplace fires are largely preventable. These tips will help you keep your workplace free from fire. Since about 20% of these fires are due to electrical causes, let’s address those first.
Electrical causes
- Make connections correctly. This sounds like common sense, but this rule is often broken. For example, solderless connectors are designed to join two conductors (or more, if the connector is actually rated for more) by simply inserting the wires into the connector and twisting. If you pretwist the wires, the connection is made with your fingers or two jaws of pliers instead of with the (totally encircling) connector — and it’s not as mechanically sound. Another common mistake is overtightening, this actually causes a poor connection that is likely to run hot after enough time.
- Use the correct circuit protection on equipment, no exceptions. Electrical fires happen when a fuse or other protective device is bypassed “just this once” to serve the convenience of the equipment owner. Bypasses are often left in place because things are working.
- Don’t use damaged portable cords.
- Keep combustibles (e.g., cardboard file boxes) out of equipment rooms. These things are just additional fuel that can turn minor electrical arcing into a major fire before the arcing can be addressed.
- Ensure the area around electrical equipment is free of dust, oil, and fibers — at least as practicably as possible.
- Keep food out of electrical rooms and other places where electrical equipment is installed. Food attracts rodents, who chew through wires.
Smoking and eating
- Smoking is the No. 2 cause of fires in factories and other industrial settings. So if you must smoke, do so only in approved areas, and use the ashtrays provided.
- Don’t eat in electrical rooms. It takes very little to attract rodents or cockroaches, and once they are in an equipment room they wreak havoc on the wiring.
- Don’t bring drinks near electrical equipment. Beverages can easily spill. In a Kentucky plastics plant, an operator who was assisting the electricians set his water bottle on top of a motor control panel and accidentally knocked it over. What happened next wasn’t pretty.
Spills
- If adding fuel to a portable heater or generator, use an approved fuel can to dispense the fuel. Ensure the nozzle is extended properly and locked into place, so that fuel doesn’t flow around the nozzle joint.
- Report any oil leaks you come across.
- If you see a spill that you can’t easily clean up, report it at once. The spill response team has the tools and training to handle that spill. If you can toss down some oil pigs or something to help control the spill, do so while the team is on its way.
- If it’s a small spill that you can easily clean up, clean it up and then report it.
Flammables use and storage
- Follow the site’s rules for disposing of solvents and other flammables. These usually go into designated containers.
- Follow the site’s rules for storing solvents and other flammables. These usually go into designated lockers.
- Follow the site’s rules for storing, moving, or disposing of combustibles.
- Store flammable and combustible materials in appropriate containers away from heat sources. For example, store touch-up paint in yellow lockers made for storing such materials.
