What Causes Commercial Fires?

10/29/2024 (Permalink)

Business owners and employees must be on guard for these common causes of workplace fires, according to the NFPA:

• Cooking appliances and equipment. Cooking equipment remain as the leading cause of commercial fires, according to the NFPA. To prevent cooking fires, never leave appliances unattended, perform routine maintenance of kitchen and cooking equipment, and install sprinklers and smoke alarms.
• Electrical distribution and lighting equipment. Frayed or damaged wiring and malfunctioning lighting equipment should be repaired or replaced by a licensed technician immediately.
• Office or electronic equipment. Use electronic equipment correctly and never utilize defective or damaged electronic devices. Also, avoid overloading adapters and remove combustible materials near electronics.
• Heating equipment. Heating fire deaths are most often caused by placing the heating equipment close to flammable materials, such as bedding, mattresses or upholstery.
• Arson or intentional fires. This type of fire causes the most damage to commercial property and life. To prevent intentional fires, empty trash bins and dumpsters every day. Installing motion detector cameras can also help.
• Smoking materials. Create a smoking policy for your workplace, such as smoking outside and using ashtrays, to prevent the risk of fire.
• Exposure fires. If a fire is not contained, it could spread to other materials in its immediate surroundings and cause exposure fire. Protect objects from the heat spread to prevent them from igniting.