Assignment on Health and Safety Environment Fire Hazards in the Workplace

            It is important for every workplace to understand that there are so many workplace hazards, which can happen in the workplace, and they can be extremely fatal and devastating. The facts & figures revealed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have revealed that the U.S fire department has to deal with a fire incident every 24 sec. It shows the frequency of fire, and it also shows how much risk of fire hazard is there in the workplace [1]. The workers have to use a variety of materials, chemicals, equipment, and machines on a daily basis and any of these materials can be a reason for a fire incident. One of the primary fire hazards in the workplace is those objects and equipment, which generate heat after running for several hours. There is a variety of machinery and electrical equipment used in the workplace, and when such objects are overheated due to excessive use, they can catch fire [2].

Details of the Hazard of Fire Hazards in the Workplace

            It is vital for the people associated with any workplace that overheating objects can be a huge fire hazard, and the workplace has to pay a huge price if such kind of incident happens. It has been observed that workers don’t adopt precautionary measures while using electrical sockets and extension leads. They overload these extension leads and sockets, which means that users of these leads and sockets are more than their actual capacity. So, when such sockets are lead are overheated due to overload, it can burst into flames, causing a fire incident at the workplace. It has been observed in various cases that people were involved in overloading these sockets, which lead to a fire accident [3]

            Here is an example below to show how sockets are overloaded at the workplace, which is a big fire and safety hazard:

            The other important thing about fire hazards is the overheating of the machinery. It is a fact that there are safety guidelines to know, for how long a certain machine can be used and run, and after certain hours, it should be given rest by turning it off. If workers don’t follow such safety instructions, and they run the machine and electrical equipment for more time other than the recommended time, then the overheated machines can quickly catch fire, and a routine day at the workplace can turn into a horrific day. The below picture is clearly showing that machinery has caught fire, and it certainly happened due to overheating of the machinery:

            The third thing about such fire hazards is the lack of safety instructions and guidelines at the workplace. It is vital for the stakeholders to ensure that the workplace has all the safety instructions. For instance, if a socket is not able to sustain overload, then there should be safety instructions on the wall alongside sockets so that every worker can see the instruction, and can look for other sockets to use rather using the same one, which is overloaded. The below image is a good example of safety instruction for overloading of electrical sockets at the workplace:

Conclusion of Fire Hazards in the Workplace

            It can be concluded in the end that there are so many fire hazards, which can be experienced at the workplace, and overheating of objects and machinery is one of them. If electrical sockets will be overloaded, and if machinery will be run for more than recommended time, it can catch fire due to overheating.

References of Fire Hazards in the Workplace

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