There are around 22,000 workplace fires across the UK each year. As well as the human cost in terms of injury or fatality, the financial implications for a business can be huge.

This blog post will consider some of the common causes of fire in the workplace.

There are around 22,000 workplace fires across the UK each year. In addition to the human cost in terms of injury or fatality, the financial implications for a business can be huge.

This blog post will consider some of the common causes of fire in the workplace.

1. Smoking.

Carelessly discarded cigarette ends are an ignition source. They can quite easily set light to nearby flammable materials, such as waste paper, cardboard, or rubbish bins.

Having a designated smoking area for staff with a safe method of disposing of smoking materials will help. Such an area should be at least a few metres away from the building and well away from flammable substances or hazardous liquids stores.

2. Combustible or flammable materials.

Flammable materials such as paper, cardboard and wood can fuel and escalate a fire. Such materials must be stored appropriately and disposed of regularly. This may include increasing waste collections to ensure waste is removed from site and is not allowed to build up.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) provide guidance about the safe storage of flammable liquids such as petrol, oil, solvents, thinners and cleaning agents.

The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) set out minimum requirements to protect workers from fire and explosion risks related to dangerous or explosive substances.

3. Rubbish, waste and dirt.

The build-up of rubbish in or around premises increases the amount of fuel available for a fire to maintain itself. Excessive rubbish and clutter also block escape routes, which could prevent people from exiting the building in a timely manner.

Dirt can ingress into machinery and cause it to overheat and become a source of ignition.

Good cleaning, workplace inspections and staff reminders about keeping the place tidy can help limit the risks.

4. Faulty, damaged or misused Electrical Equipment.

Equipment that is faulty, damaged, or misused can cause ignition. Examples of faults could include damaged cables, loose wiring, old equipment, dirty equipment, wet equipment, or overloaded sockets. All of these can result in sparks or overheating, which can ignite items in the vicinity, such as wastes, furnishings, or other equipment.

Ensuring that equipment is well maintained, pre-use checked, and PAT tested is essential. Where equipment is found to be defective or damaged, it should either be repaired by a qualified professional or disposed of and replaced.

Any electrical equipment should be used for its intended purpose and in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. A safe system of work should be in place for the use of the equipment that reflects these instructions.

5. Cooking.

A common place for fires to start is the staff canteen or kitchen, where there is more chance of open flames, hot surfaces, and flammable liquids such as cooking oil. All of these can be a fire hazard.

Ensuring staff are aware of and follow kitchen safety procedures, with relevant signage in these cooking areas, and that they receive training on what to do if a fire breaks out.

6. Arson.

The deliberate setting of fire to premises or property accounts for a fifth of fires in business premises.

It can be difficult to deter arsonists or vandals. Deterrents could include improved physical site security measures such as fences and gates, the use of CCTV and signage, increasing illumination of key areas, or perhaps, for larger sites, the use of security patrols.

To help limit the damage fires can cause to premises, the installation of fire detection and suppression systems and/or the use of alarm signalling services which can automatically call the fire service when a fire is detected.

7. Lack of Training.

Fire training for employees is a legal requirement. This is covered under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – Section 21. Among other things, these regulations mandate that all employees must receive safety training when they are first employed; if the level of risk changes, it should be refreshed on a regular basis.

Additionally, ensuring that all staff are fully trained to do their job safely. This may include using equipment and substances correctly, correctly disposing of waste materials ensuring that escape routes are kept clear

8. Lack of a Fire Risk Assessment.

Having an up-to-date fire risk assessment is important. A risk assessment helps businesses to identify the fire hazards, reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably practicable, to determine what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people if a fire does start.

A fire risk assessment should be undertaken by a competent person.

9. Faulty Fire Detection Alarms.

Although fire detection alarms and systems are not a direct cause of fire, but, failure to frequently inspect, maintain and service them can lead to large, uncontrollable fires. By making sure your alarms are working as they should be, you can rest assured that they’ll notify you in the early stages of a fire, enabling you to tackle and suppress it before it develops into something more serious.

10. Negligence.

One of the largest causes of fire is negligence.

Whether this is a small fire, such as leaving a stove unattended during cooking, or on a larger scale, such as incorrectly operating machinery, negligence does have serious implications. There is a risk of fire, which can be caused through improper use and human error.

Where human error is more about everyday accidents, negligence covers more irresponsible behaviour, or by not correctly using machinery, following rules, or similar.

*Disclaimer: Please note that it is the duty of the employer to ensure that adequate fire provision is appropriate to the circumstances of their workplace. This page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information on this page is intended as an overall introduction and fire safety advice should be sought from a qualified professional. Practical Safety Ltd aims to avoid, but accepts no liability, in the case that any information stated is out of date.