Why Businesses in the Hospitality Sector cannot afford to take Risks with Fire Safety?

Fire Safety plays a crucial role for all businesses – be it small or big. But, the unique nature of hospitality businesses makes fire safety all the more important. At a regular business premise, the employer can provide safety training to all employees – teach them how to use fire extinguishers, where the fire escape routes are, and so forth.

However, such precautions are not possible in the hospitality sector. This is because – pubs, restaurants, cafes, hotels, resorts – don’t just have employees but also house guests. It’s not possible to teach all guests about fire safety.

This is why fire safety for businesses in the hospitality sector is different from fire safety regulations for other businesses. Here, in this guide, you can read about:

• Possible fire risks in the Hospitality Business
• Top Fire Safety Tips for Hospitality Businesses

Possible Fire Risks in the Hospitality Business

A look at the causes of fires in hospitality businesses reveals that the major cause of the fire is cooking-related. This is a massive danger for all businesses that have an in-house kitchen. Other studies reveal that when staff is trained properly, they can ensure that the fires are contained or put-out before it blows into a major catastrophe.

Here are the top causes of fires in hospitality:

• An improperly maintained commercial kitchen
• Inadequately trained staff
• Faulty sprinklers
• Cluttered or obstructed exit routes
• Narrow/bottleneck evacuation routes
• Careless smoking by staff/guests
• Faulty cooling and heating equipment
• Sparks from wiring

Top Fire Safety Tips for Hospitality Businesses

1. Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment

A fire risk assessment is not only legally required but also minimizes the chances of a fire breaking out. The fire risk assessment identifies the following:

• What are the probable fire hazards? Faulty equipment, naked flames, heaters, cooling equipment, smoking areas and more
• Who are at risk? – This includes employees, guests, visitors, and other service personnel.
• What is the evacuation plan? Based on the answers to the above two questions, you need to draft an evacuation plan if a fire were to break out. Other questions to be answered here include, how will the evacuation plan be conveyed to the people on the premises? Who is in charge of executing the evacuation plan and more.

A fire risk assessment is not a one-time task. It has to be reviewed regularly and updated with changes in the business. Safix can provide you with a team of highly experienced and qualified fire risk assessors, who will identify the hazards at your business premises and create a plan to eliminate and minimize the damages.

2. Appoint Fire Wardens

These are employees who take charge in the unfortunate case of fire. Here are some factors to consider:

• Is the fire warden responsible and competent?
• What training should be offered to the person?
• Will the fire warden be on duty 24/7? Or should you appoint several people who will be in charge of various shifts?
• How many fire wardens do you need? This depends on the size of the buildings, the layout of the buildings, and the number of guests at any time and so on.

3. Provide the Right Training to Staff

Your staffs need to be fully trained to ensure that all guests remain safe in case of a fire. Here are a few factors to consider:

• Do employees know what to do during a fire?
• Are they aware of the evacuation process?
• Do they know how to use a fire extinguisher?
• Do they know how to guide guests to the nearest fire escape routes?

4. Make Fire Escape Routes Visible and Prominent

Escape routes should be designed to help people move to a place of safety, preferably outside, in case of a fire emergency. Since there’s the possibility that an escape route may catch fire, you need to ensure that there is more than one route in place.

Escape routes must be marked with prominent and bright signs. It should be kept clutter-free at all times. While designing escape routes, you need to consider the feasibility of that route for people with disabilities.

5. Practice Fire Evacuation Drills

Once you have completed the fire assessment, appointed fire wardens, and trained the staff, the next step is to familiarize employees with the evacuation plan using a fire-drill. Provide feedback on how the drill was conducted to give employees a better idea of what they should do in case of an actual fire.

6. Install the Right Fire Safety Systems

Fire detection alarms and sprinklers are a must for all businesses involved in hospitality. Here are a few factors to consider while purchasing fire safety systems:

• What are the types of fire alarms needed? Will the alarm be loud enough for older guests and guests with hearing disabilities?
• Where to place fire extinguishers?
• Are fire extinguishers easily accessible?
• Are sprinklers working?

7. Communicate your Fire Safety Plan to Guests

Hanging the escape route on the door of hotel rooms, providing guests with a leaflet that explains what they should do in case of a fire – play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of guests in an unfortunate accident.

For more information on how we can help your hospitality business keep customers and employees safe, visit our homepage or give us a call for a free consultation.