Wormald is calling on companies to ensure their employees are properly trained so that they know how to respond in an emergency fire situation.
The move comes after a recent incident where a maintenance worker in New South Wales accidentally sprayed a fire extinguisher into his eyes.
According to Wormald, 25 per cent of businesses have failed after suffering a serious fire.
Installing fire extinguishers around the workplace is a first step, Wormald says. However, companies must also ask themselves: are they the correct class of extinguisher, most suited to suppress the types of fire that might occur; are staff aware of how to use the fire extinguishers should a fire break out; and do staff know how to recognise when a fire is too severe for them to extinguish and what the evacuation plan is?
“Recently, a maintenance worker in New South Wales was trying to suppress a fire that broke out in his workplace. Unaware of the potential dangers of incorrect handling of the fire extinguisher, he ended up spraying it into his eyes, severely damaging his eyesight,” said John Lynch of Wormald.
“If employees aren’t shown how to use the fire extinguishers located in their workplace, they can prove to be more of a hazard than a help in an emergency situation.”
An essential line of defence against fire, training can provide employees with an awareness of how different types of fires can start and instil in them the confidence required to respond effectively, the company says.
Wormald believes fire extinguishers are an important part of fire safety in the workplace. The company’s fire extinguisher training courses cover a combination of theory and practical training and are designed to educate staff about the relevance of State fire safety regulations and develop operational techniques for using fire equipment in the workplace.
“Business owners have an obligation to meet certain health and safety requirements so they need to consider educating their staff in how to use the fire extinguishers situated around the office. Fire safety training is a vital step towards protecting the occupants of a building in the event of a fire and we urge owners to keep their staff on top of the latest regulations,” said Lynch.