24/7 Roller Shutter Repair Specialists Covering London & Kent
Protecting your company’s building or workspace is serious business. You have worked hard to build your investment and create a safe, welcoming space for those working and visiting, and one of the most important steps in doing this is preparing your building from the event of a fire, whether it be an accidental or intentional – and not least, it is a legal obligation for all business owners in the UK.
To help ensure you have all necessary measures in place, our roller shutter experts have put together a quick guide to making sure your building, assets, employees and visitors are as safe as possible from accidental fire.
One of the first things you need to do when ensuring your premises is safe from fire is to have plenty of fire alarms. The British Standard regulations state under Article 17 of the 2005 Fire Order Safety Act that workplace fire alarms should be tested once a week by nominated person or persons, who also need to keep a record of these tests. We also recommend that you hold monthly fire drills so that staff know exactly what to do in the event of a fire.
Fire doors are designed to keep a fire contained for a period of time, enabling safe evacuation. Our steel fire doors, for example, are available in a range of security ratings and offer an average of 30-60 minutes of extra protection. Keeping these closed at all times is vital. You may even have fire doors which are linked to your fire alarm and close automatically.
If your premises does not have them already, we highly recommend that you consider installing high quality fire doors instead of ordinary doors as this can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
Fire exit doors are often left closed for really long periods of time and as a result some people may feel like they should make use of the space that should be left in front of it.
Fire doors are not an extension of the wall. They must always be kept clear to provide means for safe evacuation. You should also think about what that might mean in the event of a real fire – you should avoid feeding the fire a nice wooden desk as that would certainly make it burst through the door at a much faster rate.
You might want to think about some of the ways in which your insurance company can help you in protecting your business in the occurrence of a fire. For instance, can they offer you a fire risk assessment? It’s also good to confirm what your property’s insurance policy does and does not include with regards to fire damage, and how their terms and conditions may impact your current insurance coverage.
Fire suppression systems such as sprinklers, are effective ways to repress a fire that has started, they are specifically ideal for server rooms, for instance.
Remember to ensure that all fire security and CCTV systems, from your alarm systems to fire exit doors, are all regularly serviced, and faults are immediately acted upon.
Quay Facilities Ltd are roller shutter specialists working 24/7 to meet your security requirements in Kent and South East London. We can supply, install, maintain and repair your roller shutters to ensure that your premises remain safe and secure at all times. Call us today on 0208 2266 247 to discuss your requirements.
