Important Elements of Building Inspections and Fire Safety Checklists
As a business owner, you have tremendous responsibilities. You need to hire qualified employees, have a strong management team, provide what’s needed for people to perform their jobs, all while trying to grow your business. However, one of the most critical aspects of your position is to protect your workers, your buildings, along with your other assets from fire. That’s where a fire barrier or fire partition can help.
Fire Barrier Vs. Fire Partition: Building Inspections
Regardless of which system you opt for, you need to do two key things. First, you want to have your building inspected according to the government’s mandates. Second, you need to create a safety checklist that’s disseminated throughout the company. The inspection helps to identify any potential risks, while the checklist ensures that management and employees know the proper steps to take should a fire or any emergency occur.
By hiring a reputable firm to conduct an inspection of your business, nothing gets overlooked. That professional will search from floor to ceiling throughout your facility to spot anything of potential risk or not compliant with your local codes. A big part of the inspection has to do with fire prevention and whether your protection systems are functional. Missing fire extinguishers or blocked open fire doors are often items noted during inspections.
The inspection is especially critical if your business deals with combustible or flammable materials. Depending on how the building was constructed along with its original intended occupancy versus the current occupancy, some of your fire barriers may need to be upgraded to a higher fire resistance rating. Your sprinkler system may also need to be upgraded to provide the coverage and flow required to address your materials.
Safety Checklists
As for the safety checklist, you and your management team should sit down and go over all possible threats. The goal is to provide everyone in the company with a plan in the event of an emergency. They’d know where to go and where to wait until first responders arrive.
If some workers find themselves trapped in a room or space when fire erupts, the fire barrier or fire partition separating them from the fire will give them anywhere from one to four hours of protection. That’s ample time for the fire department to rescue them. Simply put, these systems not only protect buildings and tangible assets but, more importantly, human lives.
Contact Us for Superior Fire Protection Products
To learn more about fire barrier vs. fire partition or any of the other fire protection products we offer, contact us at DuraSystems today.
