Potential Emergencies Caused by Small Fires in the Workplace - Term Paper Example

Title Author Institution Date Emergency Control Introduction In Australia, cases of small fire emergencies have been witnessed for many years. Small fire emergencies can be tackled with immediate responses that involve many activities, resources and stakeholder inputs (Leonard, 1998). Fire causes harm to people in different ways and therefore, controls are important in tackling potential fire emergencies at the workplace. Australia has many types of basic emergency controls that have been installed in places of work to help combat small fire emergencies. This report will focus on answering a number of questions about potential emergencies caused by small fires in the workplace. Occurrence of potential emergency and stakeholder inputs Small fire emergencies are common at work places. These potential emergencies have various potential causes. Some specific causes depend on the activities being carried out at the place of work while other causes are general. Potential small fire emergencies can occur when there is a problem with electricity. Misusing and neglecting electrical appliances and wiring could be a potential cause of fire (CCH Editors, 2009). When refuse is allowed to accumulate storage or working areas, the possibility of a fire emergency is heightened. Smokers can cause fires by discarding matches and cigarettes in buildings or around the compound. Portable heaters can also cause fires if they are knocked over or guarded badly. Heaters may also overheat especially when there is obstruction. The presence of hazardous material at the place of work could be a potential cause of fire as well (Eburn, 2010). Such materials include chemicals, paints, adhesives and other flammable substances. Arson attacks on building that are not well secured and specific hazards like heated equipment, welding equipment and machines in dusty places are potential causes of fire emergencies. Stakeholders are the people or organizations that contribute to, are affected by or take part in planning, response activities or recovery processes from emergencies. Stakeholders may range from the employees at the workplace, emergency service providers, and utility providers to, the media and venue operators. The stakeholders are determined by the kind of activities the organization is involved in. Stake holders may provide inputs on the type of materials used to construct the building, the utilities present on the building, the activities taking place in the building, the type of materials and equipment in use in the building and the probability of a fire based on their own judgment. Employees and those involved in the management and maintenance of the building are particularly important in provision of inputs (McGrail, 2007). Potential harm to persons in the event of potential emergency There is a lot of harm that can result from burns caused by fire. Burns from fire can affect the eyes and the skin on any part of the body. There are burns of various intensities depending on the exposure to the fire and the intensity or temperature of the fire. In work places electrical fires are the most common and their fires can burn the skin and even the flesh. Other harm can be caused by the smoke that accompanies the fire. Smoke may contains toxic fumes and particles that when breathed in may cause death or unconsciousness. Toxic fumes may affect the lungs and generally poison the body. Smoke also causes suffocation especially when the place where the fire is has poor ventilated and the victims have taken in a lot of it (International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association, 2008). Basic emergency prevention controls installed The controls installed to prevent fires in the workplace include fire extinguishing, researching the fire causes, educating workers about fire emergencies and maintaining and improving equipment used in fire fighting. Fire control measures have been incorporated in building designs. Measures for reduction of the potential sources of small fires have been installed. Such include outfitting structures that serve to reduce fire effects. Such structures have equipment like fire extinguishers and fire sprinkler systems. Many buildings in their construction have adhered to the regulations of fire safety outlined in the building codes of Australian states. Buildings are constructed in a manner that they enclose some areas and separate others. This prevents fire from spreading. They have devices for fire prevention such as exist signs and fire alarms (Montagna, 1999). The design of buildings also gives them the ability to isolate certain materials that can easily cause fire. Fire extinguishing equipment is installed in buildings at regular intervals. This is only afforded by the design of these building. Automatic fire alarms as well as those operated by a person are installed in various structures. Others include devices sensitive to heat that are triggered by specific temperatures, smoke detectors that are sensitive to the changes brought about by smoke in the air. Most of the buildings have automatic sprinkler systems that spray water on fire whenever it has been detected (Iaf, 2011). The initial response procedure to the emergency When a fire has been detected, the initial response should follow this procedure: Removal of people from the scene and from danger Activation of the fire alarms of the building Closing of doors and windows to ensure that the fine is confined Evacuation or vacating the building without using elevators Assisting any disabled person to move out Containing or extinguishing the fire (Montagna, 1999). Resources and equipment required for the initial response The initial response does not require so many equipment and resources. It is only an immediate reaction that prepares the people, fire personnel and the scene for the process of fire fighting. Equipment for fire fighting includes fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Fire extinguishers are located in cupboards or on walls. Fire blankets are used for smothering and they are disposed of when used only once. They are not suitable for use in an energized electrical field. The initial response also needs fire alarms and communication equipment that the one who has sighted the fire can use to alert fire personnel and those in the affected building (Eburn, 2010). Documentation required and staff training requirements Staff training on emergency fire management can only be done when certain requirements are met and specific documents are available. Every employee that comes into an organization should be trained on fire emergencies. It is a requirement that all organizations should have all their employees equipped with skills for fire fighting. Those to be trained should have at least a high school certificate or any other qualification above that. Checklist for workers listing, who they need to notify in case of an emergency and what actions to take In case there is an emergency the workers need to report to the fire services personnel and later the police. This should be done through a phone call with details of the building, the floor and door number provided. They can also notify the warden, supervisor or foreman at the site. The supervisor can facilitate any measures needed to keep the place safe as they await the police and fire personnel. The management of the premises or work place also needs to be informed of the incident (Eburn, 2010). Procedures for the second response phase a. If it is safe to raise the alarm, the person responsible should ensure that all people near the fire are safe. b. The second step is raining the alarm if it is not on already. A break glass alarm may be used or shouting if the panel is not available. The alarm systems notify the fire services automatically. c. It is now time to make a call top the security and give the name of the building, number of the room, the far the fire has gone and the type of smoke. d. If safe enough, the person should inform the workplace supervisor or the warden of he affected building. e. I f the person has been trained in fire fighting and use of equipment, he can then go ahead to try and put off the fire (Montagna, 2006). Communication to others in the workplace and their contribution Effective communication in the case of a fire is very important. A proper communication method should be in place to pass information to people at the place of work to move out of the building or take other measures appropriate to the emergency. The easiest mode of communication for small fire emergencies could be shouting out “fire, fire” so that those who can hear the voice can take immediate action. Putting on the fire alarms could also serve to war the other employees on the premises, especially when the place is large or the building has many expansive floors. If the place of work or building needs evacuation, then a communications center could be necessary. An emergency coordinator stationed at the center can help facilitate communication throughout the rest of the process of fire management. The person within the control center has the responsibility of giving information to the police or members of the emergency response team about the incident. When informed about fire emergency, other employees can help in switching on fire alarms, operating the fire fighting equipment to put off the fire. This can be done by those with knowledge about fire fighting equipment. Other employees can help in the evacuation process which includes assisting those who are disabled to leave the scene of the fire as fast as possible (Wright, 1989). Evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of the emergency response strategies After all the response initiatives have been accomplished and various strategies applied, it is time to evaluate the entire process so that strengths, weaknesses and the success of the efforts applied can be revealed. The information obtained can be stored for use in future as long as similar incidents are expected (International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association 2008). a) Efficiency and timeliness in consultation with stakeholders and when appropriate specialist advisors and agencies Stake holders, agencies and specialist advisors should be consulted to give their views of the success of the strategies applied in the responses to the fire. The time lines used to accomplish various tasks can help to gauge the success of the response process. Efficiency can be known from the time taken to contain the fire and the amount of damage caused on property or injuries on people. Specialist advisors and agencies should be able to provide the right standards set for the timelines and the various activities that must be accomplished within these timelines (Wright, 1989). B- Promptly and appropriately documenting and reporting results of monitoring to managers and other key stakeholders This is important in the evaluation process. The results can help the managers and stakeholders in their meeting to know what kind of strengths and weaknesses the organization has in fire safety so that they can come in particular areas to strengthen the weak areas. Their judgment of the state of preparedness in cases of fire is based on these results (Dunn, 1999). C- Identifying areas for organizational and personal improvement in emergency response and making recommendations The identification of areas where improvements are needed should be done upon monitoring the success and failure of the response efforts. Particular areas were strategies were not properly implemented should be noted down and identified as areas of weakness needing improvement. The property lost by stakeholders, the time wasted by those involved in the response process, the people injured and other looses should help to identify the areas that need improvement. The management should receive workable recommendations from the monitoring and evaluation team. Personal evaluation should also be made and acted upon by employees involved in the response process (CCH Editors, 2009). Conclusion To conclude, this report has focused on answering a few questions about fire emergency response. Fire emergencies occur from accidents at the work place. Such accidents may be cause by electric faults, cigarettes, rubbish, poor handling of machines among others. People caught in a fire emergency may sustain burns, have lung infections or even die from the burns and breathing in toxic smoke. There are certain emergency controls installed in Australia such as fire and smoke detectors and fire fighting equipment. Education, research and training programs also help in these controls. When fire erupts a particular response procedure should be followed to tackle it. These procedures require specific resources and equipment like fire extinguishers and blankets. Workers should have the right documentation and meet the requirements before they receive fire training. These workers must have a checklist of those people they inform about fire emergencies in their work places. This list should have fire personnel, supervisors, police and management. References CCH Editors (2009). Planning Occupations Health and Safety. CCH Australia Limited. Dunn, V. (1999). Command and Control of Fires and Emergencies. Penguin Press. Eburn, M. (2010). Emergency Law: Rights, Liabilities and Duties of Emergency Workers. JHU Press. Iaf (2011). Fundamentals of Fighter Skills. Routledge. International Association of Fire Chiefs, National Fire Protection Association (2008). Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills. MIT. Leonard, B. (1998). Fire Safety Education Resource Directory. Cengage. McGrail, D. (2007). Firefighting Operations in High-Rise and Standpipe Equipped Buildings. John Wiliey & Sons. Montagna, F. (1999). Responding to Routine Emergencies.  Routledge. Montagna, F.(2006). Responding to Routine Emergencies Workbook. Cengage. Wright, B. (1989). Fire Fighting Equipment. Oxford. Read More