You probably remember participating in annual fire drills as a kid, or maybe your school had them even more often. Now that you’re an adult, do you know how to safely exit your office building if there’s a fire?
Unsurprisingly, offices don’t hold fire drills as often as schools. After all, we’re all busy working away to make money for our companies and ourselves. But the safety of working adults is important, and office fires do happen. Take the time to regularly remind your employees of what to do to ensure everyone remains safe in the event of a fire. Remember, prevention is key.
Hold Fire Drills 2 or 3 Times Annually
Considering the lives this 10-minute task could save, it’s a small thing to ask your company to do. Holding drills will ensure all your employees know what emergency alarms sound like, how they should exit the building, and where they should go once outside.
Send Regular Email Reminders
Have your HR department or managers send out a few emails per year to remind employees of what to do if a fire occurs. Although these will not be as effective as actual fire drills, they will at least pass the information along to employees who may not have been in the office during that last drill. This information will be especially useful for new employees who are unfamiliar with the building.
Assemble a Safety Committee
Your office may have a volunteer committee or a young professional committee, so why not a safety committee? These volunteers from different departments would take on the duty of organizing fire drills. This group would also determine how well a fire drill worked by timing how quickly everyone exited the building and gathered in their designated safety spot. If employees were too slow or confused this time, you might need a follow-up fire drill soon.
If you establish a volunteer safety committee, that team could also organize other safety drills, including tornado drills, earthquake drills, or any other safety precaution needed in your area.
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