Fire Safety Management at the Gym - Assignment Example

Safety Management Plan for the Gym Name: Course: Institution Affiliation: Date: Table of contents Introduction 3 Goals and Objectives 3 Fire safety policy statement 4 Fire safety Management Structure 4 Maintenance Chart of Fire Safety Plan of the Gym 5 Plans of Evacuation 7 Recognition of fire and Fire alarm 9 Individuals with Disabilities 9 Awareness of arson and Fire Avoidance 10 Employees Routine procedures 11 Choice and management of materials 12 Training of employees and fire exercises 13 Maintenances and testing of fire safety systems & reducing the sources of oxygen 13 Risk assessments of Fire and updating manual 14 Conclusion 15 References 17 Safety Management Plan for the Gym Introduction Fire is a hazard that is no respecter of persons, venues, or times; yet its consequences are deadly. The Gym is one of the places that are vulnerable to fire hazards if no proper measures are taken to prevent it. The Gym often involves many people who come to take physical exercises, their trainers, and the various machines and equipments that are installed in the Gym. It is no news, that the Gym is the place where many moving machines are used come into direct interaction by the people who use them in their physical exercises. This shows that it is also a place with many risks, fire being a great risk particularly due to the moving machines that use power. In the Gym, the consequences of fire can be drastic. They may include the threat to the lives of the people taking their exercises, the threat to the safety of the workers of the Gym, and the people within it, damage to the equipments in the Gym, and finally it may also involve the normal business activities of the Gym being interrupted. This paper concerns itself with the development of a safety management plan that would be effective for the Gym (Sawyer, 2005, p. 49-61). Goals and Objectives The aim of this paper includes: To develop a fire safety plan for the gym that will provide and maintain a safe environment for the workers of the Gym, the members, and the public. To develop a plan that would add value with regard to safety of all users of the Gym, through reducing the risks that is posed to them. The risks include; personal injury, loss of property, and business losses. Finally, the paper looks at developing a safety plan for the Gym, through maintenance of buildings that host Gymnasiums, protection of Gym occupants by developing ways by which they can reach to a place of safety in the event of a fire hazard. Fire safety policy statement “Fire is a hazard that is may be prevented, avoided, or contained. We are committed to ensuring that our staff and customers, systems, and premise is free from the harm of fire hazard” Fire safety Management Structure A good structural fire safety plan should capture a well designed fire fighting shaft that will support fire hazard to be fought. It is important for the building hosting the Gym to be well fitted with fire safety shafts that will enable the fire marshals to fight fire in the event fire hazards occur. The following diagram illustrates this. Maintenance Chart of Fire Safety Plan of the Gym There is need for a fire safety plan for the Gym that would be specific on the role of the fire marshals, and other fire safety personnel that would be instrumental in ensuring that safety programmes in the Gym premise is sustained. The following maintenance chart would outline the fire safety maintenance personnel, as well as the roles that they are supposed to take to ensure that the Gym premise is safe from the risk of fire hazard. Maintenance Chart of Fire Safety Plan of the Gym Good fire safety maintenance plans encompasses installation, and check up of the following areas. They include: a. Smoke Alarms –Fire Safety Standard. b. Installation of Exit Signs, Emergency Lighting, and setting up Fire Safety Standard. c. Installation of Fire Extinguishers and Fire Safety Standard. d. Fire Hose Reels – A9 Fire Safety Standard. e. Exit Doors Hardware Functioning. FIRE SAFETY MAINTAINENCE SCHEDULE Installation Importance Test conducted Frequency Competent Individuals Smoke Detectors – Standard of Fire Safety Mandatory Test routines done on smoke detectors. Replace the used power supplies. Periodically checking of lighting to ensure its connected to the smoke alarms. Replace unit over some time. Operation should be done on Monthly basis Power supply replacement, when there’s low indication Replacement of unit should be done according to maintenance manual proprietors of the Gym premise, or agent of the managing the premise. Installation of Emergency Lighting, Exit Signs, , and setting up Fire -Safety Standard Mandatory As per manufacturer’s instructions Twice a year Involves a licensed personnel Placement of Fire Safety Standard and Fire Extinguishers Mandatory As per technical manual explanation Level 1, & 2 on monthly basis/ Level 4, 5 on a yearly framework Strictly carried out by a approved fire fighting professionals Fire Hose Reels – A9 Fire Safety Standard Mandatory On a monthly basis Twice a year is convenient Licensed fire fighting appliance contractor Exit Door Hardware Mandatory Ensure its appropriately functioning Should be checked all the time Owners or Occupiers of the building Source: BS 9999 (2008). Plans of Evacuation A good evacuation strategy begins with developing effective escape routes of the Gym premise. This is a very important strategy of reducing the risks of an eventuality of fire in any given Gym premises. The management safety plan should put into consideration the number of people who visit the Gym premises daily, and the number of escape routes that are available in any eventuality of fire. The plan should be able to provide room for the people in the premise to escape to a place of safety without being assisted by the fire rescue service. This is in the event that fire is detected, and warning is given to the people in the premises. The safety plan should also encompass provisions for the disabled people, as well as those with special conditions that will make them need help to get off the premises which have caught fire. This should be done through establishing staff who will be able to provide this service in the event of fire. The use of effective escape routes such as protected stair cases are encouraged management should ensure that the level of fire protection accorded to the escape routes correspond to the level of risk of fire within and around the Gym premises. An effective fire safety plan for Gym should encompass the establishment of escape routes that would serve the capacity of the people within the Gym premise. This can only be achieved if management of the Gym considers factors such as escape time, nature and the numbers of people who use Gym facility, the age and construction of the Gym premises; the location of assembly points, assisted means of escape, and the application of delayed alarm evacuation plan among others. It may also be important that the escape routes be effectively managed. This is to ensure that they remain usable and available at all times when the Gym premises are in use. Management of escape routes may include; keeping staircases, and corridors clear and hazard free, as well as avoiding locating flammable items on escape routes. It will also be important to have provisions of escape routes for disabled persons. They may include; stairways; firefighting lifts; evacuation lifts; horizontal evacuation; refuges; and ramps. Recognition of fire and Fire alarm Fire alarm and detection should also be improved through empowering the fire marshals. They should be given adequate training, and they should additionally train the staff on the locations of fire alarm. They should further train the staff on the importance of detecting the alarm when it rings, and how to communicate this to other people. The fire Marshalls are very important group of people that should be factored in while developing a good plan for the Gym. This is because they play an important role in informing the staff on the process of fire alarm and detection. This is because they are the people who guarantee the speed by which fire hazard may be contained in the event that the Gym premise is caught by fire. In addition, they are the people with the highest risk for their failure to contain fire may cause more risk to the other people. It is additionally important for an effective safety management plan for the Gym should identify the people with the highest risk, and comparing the collected statistics with the following. The potential ignition sources in the Gym. In this case, it may include; the frictional points of the Gym machines, the sources of power that runs the machines, and the high voltage powered equipments being used in the Gym. In addition, the plan should also capture the potential fuel sources in the Gym (Ray, 2011, p. 32-45). Individuals with Disabilities The disabled people who have visited the Gym such as the people with vision or hearing impairment, mobility impairments, and others should also be factored in the safety management plan for the Gym. Finally, people who have other special conditions that may bar them from leaving a fire premise quickly such as the elderly, pregnant women and others should also be considered (Center for Sports Law and Risk Management, 1990, p. 44-54). It is important that the people in the Gym who are at risk in the event of fire be identified. There is need to identify the people at risk in the event that the Gym gets on fire. This is done through establishing where the people work, are their work stations permanent or temporal. There is need for the plan to also consider the people who work on occasionally around the Gym premise (BS 9999, 2008, p. 45-54). It is important for the plan to give considerations to the other people who may be at risk in the event that the Gym gets on fire. They may include the spectators, the members of the Gym, and users of the Gym equipments, visiting contractors, and visitors. In looking at this people, careful attention should be given to the places where there is high likelihood of these people being found (US Fire Administration, 2010, p. 43-52). Awareness of arson and Fire Avoidance On a general scale, the fire safety measures for the Gym may include; prevention of fire outbreaks within the Gymnasium halls, early detection of possibilities of fire outbreaks through mitigating the anticipated damages, reducing the possibility of spread of fire through structural containment, increasing the number of escape routes from the Gym, simplifying emergency evacuation procedure for all the people using the Gym, and diversifying the means by which fire can be fought. These measures are appropriate to the occupants of the Gym, the daily use of the Gym equipments, for prevention of inherent fire risk, and the fulfillment of respective legal requirements. This paper would outline a number of strategies within the fire safety management plan for the Gym, which are essential with regards to promoting the safety of the people using the Gym, safety of the building and protection of the general human health and safety. It may also be necessary to see to it that there is proper installation, use, storage, and maintenance of electrical or mechanical equipments that are used in the Gym to facilitate physical exercises. The catering, as well as the cooking equipments of the Gym should also be used as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Management should see to it that the members of the Gym do not bring into the Gym flares and fireworks. Important of all, is that management of the Gym should ensure that all the fireworks, and other hazardous equipments used in the Gym are installed, and protected as per the instructions of the manufacturers. Employees Routine procedures It is important that management comes up with routine procedures for staff intended to remove or reduce the risks to people. In addition, the safety plan for a Gym should also look into issues relating to the safety of the staff, verses the risks that the people face as they work or visit the Gymnasium. Having looked at the people factors, and the risks that are posed to them, it may be very important for management of the Gym to consider addressing the risks that the people face, from a preventive approach, as opposed to an offensive approach. In developing the plan, it may not happen that a case would arise where there is no risk being posed to the people in the Gym premise; however, it would be important to minimize the remaining risks of fire starting. This would be promoting reasonable practice and conduct of the people within and around the Gym premise. Developing routine procedures of fire saftety should be encouraged. These procedures may include: Registration of staff when they enter into risky parts of the Gym. Dressing up with appropriate attire as they report to the Gym Checking the building and ensuring that flammable materials are not carelessly placed. The practices should include observation of adequate fire precautions by the people in the premises. It may also involve ensuring that the people within the Gym premises are adequately warned about the dangers of fire, and how they can escape safely in the event of an occurrence of fire. The level of fire protection provided by the Gym’s management team should be sufficient to meet the risks that will have remained in the Gym’s premises (Bates, 2008, p. 34). Choice and management of materials This is important because they remove or reduce sources of Ignition in the Gym premise. An effective safety management plan for the Gym should consider elimination or reduction of the sources of ignition that increases the risk of fire taking place within the Gym. This can be done in various ways which include; ensuring that the Gym’s curtains, drapes, and other soft furnishings are fire-retardant to enhance their fire performance, treating the display materials in the Gymnasium with a proprietary fire-retardant treatment, reducing the volumes of stocks of flammable materials within the Gymnasium halls. In addition to this, it may also be important to ensure that the known flammable materials, solids, liquids, as well as gases are properly stored, and are distanced from each other. The flammable materials should not be stored together. If the Gym has large areas of combustible wall linings e.g polystyrene, then they should also be treated. The management of the Gym facilities should also develop a formal system by which combustible waste are carefully stored before being disposed off. In the Gym halls, it is important that the properties that are not in current use in an open stage. Hazardous materials should be kept at minimum within the Gym. Care should be taken to ensure that no part of the Gym premise or storage area is left vulnerable to arson or vandalism (Craighead, 2009, p. 43-55). Training of employees and fire exercises The final element of a Gym’s safety plan involves training the employees of the Gym. This should be based on the features of the Gym premises. Training is a very important aspect that should be captured in the plan, since it is against this training that the planed safety measures can be fully executed. In this regard, the management of the Gym should set up an ongoing training program that will continue as new employees are employed in the Gym. Staff training is such an important activity, since it’s against the training being given that the staff can be competent to deal with the risk of fire hazard. The training content should not miss out on the emergency procedures in the event of fire, it should spell out the work activity and the responsibilities of staff regarding safety of the Gym premises. An effective training program for the employees of the Gym would increase the effectiveness of safety management of the Gym (Ronald & Henderson, 2006, p. 47-56). Maintenances and testing of fire safety systems & reducing the sources of oxygen The Gym’s fire safety systems should be maintained and tested on a regular basis. This is because failure of these systems to work may end up causing much harm in the event of a fire hazard. Most of the fire safety systems often require be checking and maintaining after certain periods of time. In addition, it may also be important for the management of a Gym facility to consider reducing the potential of the source of oxygen that is likely to be supplied to a fire. This is important since most of the fires that have caused great losses are supported by the available oxygen. The source of oxygen that is supplied to a fire may be reduced in various ways. First, it may involve management coming up with policy that directs the actions that are to be taken in an event of fire such as closing doors, windows, and other ventilation openings that allows oxygen in when fire begins. (Great Britain: Department for Communities and Local Government. 2006, p. 54-62). Risk assessments of Fire and updating manual Finally on occasional basis, it would be important for fire risk assessment to be conducted by the management of the Gym’s building. It is important for the management to conduct risk assessment on a given specified intervals. This can be on a quarterly basis. The report from the assessments is significant in determining the next step that the Gym management should take in minimizing the risk of fire hazard in the Gym premise. On the same note, it is also important that management finds it necessary to keep the records. Maintaining good records with regard to the safety measures undertaken in the Gym premise would help the management be able to trace the progress of the safety measures that have been undertaken. Good fire safety records play an important role with regards increasing the effectiveness of the evaluation process. Conclusion All in all, the paper reveals that the Gym is such a place that is vulnerable to fire hazards. It is important for the management of a Gym facility to employ necessary measures, and strategies that would protect its employees, the members of the Gym who take physical exercises, the visitors, as well as other people around the Gym facility. The paper has also revealed that it is important for the safety measures protecting the workers of the Gym from harm, be accommodating to the various kinds of persons including; the disabled, unaccompanied children, pregnant women, and people with impairments such as vision impairment. All in all, the seven elements discussed in this paper make up an effective safety plan for the Gym in the eventuality that fire hazard takes place. References BS 9999. (2008). Code of practice for fire safety in the Design, Management and Use of buildings. Britain: British Standards Institute. Bates, M. 2008, Health fitness management: a comprehensive resource for managing and operating programs and facilities, Human Kinetics, London. Center for Sports Law and Risk Management, 1990. From the gym to the jury, The Center, New York. Craighead, G. 2009, High-Rise Security and Fire Life Safety, Butterworth-Heinemann, New York. Great Britain: Department for Communities and Local Government. 2006. Fire safety risk assessment: Residential care premises. The Stationery Office, London. Ray, J. 2011. Management Strategies in Athletic Training, Human Kinetics, London. Ronald W. & Henderson, H. 2006. Positive behavior management in physical activity settings, Human Kinetics, London. Sawyer, T. 2005, Facility design and management for health, fitness, physical activity, recreation, and sports facility development, Sagamore Pub. L.L.C., New York. US Fire Administration, 2010, Developing Effective Standard Operation Procedures; for Fire and EMS Departments, FEMA, New York. Read More