When trying to ensure the fire safety at office, the very first thing you will consider is the sprinkler system. But you rarely think about the fire safety within your office kitchen. According to a recent study conducted by the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), it was identified that over 25% of commercial fires take place within the kitchen. 30% of those fires take place due to cooking equipment. A fire can start small from the office kitchen but can quickly spread throughout your office building.
Working lunches, birthday celebrations, corporate events, and holiday parties are just a few examples of the many business activities and social gatherings that include food preparation. While enjoying the event, be careful of your workers’ safety and educate yourself on office kitchen fire safety. Here are some tips to maintain office kitchen fire safety.
Service or replace all the appliances with frayed or worn power cords
Check kitchen appliance power cables every two years to make sure there aren’t any frayed or exposed wires. These cables provide a risk of fire. Remind staff to report broken power cables as soon as they are discovered so that the device or cord may be fixed or replaced as soon as feasible.
Never let cooking food unattended
Although we all want to believe we can multitask, there are moments when we are only able to focus on one thing at a time. When cooking meals at work while striving to do other chores, this single-minded attention is even more crucial.
You observe the meal you’re preparing at home while standing next to the stove. Apply the same level of attention at work. Employees should be urged to practise fundamental fire safety precautions and keep an eye on their food while they prepare it to make sure it doesn’t burn.
Regularly clean and service kitchen appliances
A brief meal is often made before a meeting or conference call. Some of us are better than others at cleaning up after ourselves when we accidentally leave a mess in the microwave or on the hob. However, if everyone does their bit and cleans up after themselves in the workplace kitchen, accumulated oil or food debris is a fire danger on or near cooking surfaces. This issue may be easily avoided.
Train all employees on using fire extinguishers
Your whole crew should be adequately taught on how to use a fire extinguisher in the case of a kitchen fire at your business. Everyone at your place of business has to know how they can put out a fire or suppress one. If you don’t provide your team the proper training, your office and your whole company might burn down.