Stay Safe during Fire Prevention Week

October 8-14 is National Fire Prevention Week, an annual public outreach and awareness campaign conducted by the National Fire Protection Association. 

Recommendations to help builders keep residential construction sites as fireproof as possible start with basic housekeeping, storage and preparation, especially as we head into the cold season:

• Keep job sites free of excess items and clean up spills immediately.

• Be aware of fuels and ignition sources on the job site and ensure proper placement and storage.

• Ensure rooms are well ventilated before spraying paint and other solvents.

• Ensure that temporary heaters are used correctly.

• Keep fire extinguishers within easy reach and make sure workers are trained to use them.

• Serious fires on home construction sites are rare, but they can be very destructive. All fires are easily preventable with careful planning and maintenance.

Winter is a particularly dangerous time because many sites use temporary heaters during indoor construction. These heaters can be knocked over, forgotten to be turned off, or simply malfunction, 

causing a fire to spread quickly. Proper use of space heaters is critical to ensuring worker safety.

This week, you can stop and think about fire safety in the workplace. Does everyone know the escape plan? When was the last time the fire extinguishers were checked? Is housekeeping a routine task?

You may already be prepared. But stop and think about it and ask questions to make sure everything is in order.