When a fire breaks out in an office, there is a good chance that the office contains material that will allow the fire to spread and increase in intensity. Many office-based businesses have, unfortunately, been wiped out by fire. To make things worse, most of these fires could have been prevented had proper precautions been in place. This article examines some ways to decrease the fire risk of an office.

Use Metal Files

Although cleaning up piles of paper and card is an obvious way of decreasing a fire risk, this can be negated depending on the storage methods. Modern 'filing cabinets' can be inferior to tradition metal filing cabinets. Cabinets made from pressed wood boards or smaller, stiff cardboard holders will help to spread a fire, not inhibit it. It can be quite trendy for a small business to keep its premises up to date and environmentally-friendly, but this must be balanced to ensure the best defence against a potential fire. Investing in steel filing cabinets will store any paper you have without allowing it to become part of the fire.

Use The Clouds

Clearly, an office which uses and has less paper than an office that is crammed with paper files will fare significantly better in the event of a fire. By making a little adjustment to the way paper is used and information stored, an office can dramatically reduce the amount of paper it uses. The cloud storage system is becoming a popular way for businesses to store and record their information. All that is needed is an Internet connection; the Internet provider uses physical storage systems, which are situated in many places around the country. These vast databases can be accessed by customers, allowing them to safely store (and access at any time) the business records. Easy to set up and inexpensive to implement, cloud storage systems are an ideal way for businesses to greatly reduce paper use. .

Maintain Electrical Equipment

Features like automatic sprinkler systems or automatic shutdown for equipment that overheats (such as computers or printers) can make people a little complacent regarding office equipment and a potential fire. It can be tempting to skip the scheduled maintenance of office equipment in an attempt to save money. Some people will skip one maintenance and think it will be safe to get the check done the following year. However, this is a mistake. As the equipment is used regularly, it can become easy for the internal vents to become clogged. From here, equipment can overheat and potentially cause a fire risk. Always keep all of the equipment properly maintained; allow for this cost in the budget.

Ensure that all members of staff understand and can use fire extinguishers; these are an excellent way to deal with a small fire outbreak. Fire servicing companies also offer the installation and maintenance of fire prevention systems, as well as training for people to know how to react in case of fires. These can be great investments even if fires seem unlikely.

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