Fire in the workplace can kill your workers, burn down your workplace and destroy your business. OHS laws and fire and building codes also require you to implement measures to identify and prevent fire risks. Here’s a template fire prevention plan that you can adapt based on your own circumstances and the legal requirements of your jurisdiction.

Workplace Fire Prevention Plan

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of this Plan is to minimize workplace fire hazards by heightening the fire safety awareness and furnishing the information necessary to enable employees to recognize hazardous conditions and take appropriate actions to prevent them from resulting in a fire emergency. This Plan is also designed to supplement the ABC Company Emergency Response and Evacuation Plan (EREP) on how to prepare for and respond to fire and other emergencies.

1. DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Plan:

• “Class A combustibles” include common combustible materials (wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and plastics) that can act as fuel and are found in non-specialized areas, such as offices;
• “Class B combustibles” include flammable and combustible liquids (oils, greases, tars, oil-based paints, and lacquers), flammable gases and flammable aerosols;
• “Hot work” means “welding or working with an open flame or other ignition source).

1. ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Fire safety is everyone's responsibility. This Section outlines the specific roles and responsibilities for achieving fire safety and prevention.

3.1 Management

ABC Company management is responsible for establishing, implementing and monitoring this Plan and the EREP and providing the resources, training and equipment necessary to ensure that it’s carried out effectively and that all reasonable steps are taken to manage and prevent fire hazards and that if any fires do occur, they are responded to immediately and safely.

3.2. Plan Administrator

ABC Company has designated [list name or title] to serve as the Fire Plan Administrator responsible for the day-to-day management of this Plan whose responsibilities include, without limitation: (Responsible Person(s)) will manage the Fire Prevention Plan for (Company Name) and will maintain all records pertaining to the plan. The Plan Administrator will also:

• Develop and administer the ABC Company fire prevention training program;
• Perform fire hazard assessments;
• Ensure that appropriate fire control equipment and systems are furnished and properly maintained;
• Ensure that ignition sources and flammable, combustible and/or explosive materials are identified and kept away from each other;
• Develop and ensure the effective implementation of safe work procedures to limit fire risks;
• Ensure that fire safety inspections are carried out as frequently as necessary to ensure safety;
• Ensure that fire drills are regularly carried out; and
• Maintain documentation and records generated to carry out the Plan.

3.3 Supervisors

Supervisors are responsible for:

• Ensuring that employees receive appropriate fire safety training;
• Ensuring that employees understand and are capable of carrying out their fire safety duties and ABC Company safe work procedures;
• Notifying the Plan Administrator of fire incidents or changes in operations that may increase the risk of fire; and
• Enforcing the Plan, including via the imposition of necessary discipline.

3.4 Employees

All employees are responsible for:

• Successfully completing required fire safety training;
• Being able to recognize and minimize fire hazards;
• Carrying out all applicable safe work procedures;
• Keeping their work areas clean, safe and free of fire hazards, in accordance with the ABC Company Housekeeping Policy;
• Properly using and maintaining all required fire safety equipment and PPE; and
• Understanding how to respond in the event of a fire emergency; and
• Understanding and effectively carrying out their roles under the EREP.

1. HOUSEKEEPING & GENERAL FIRE SAFETY PRACTICES

To minimize fire risks, employees and supervisors must:

• Minimize storage of combustible materials;
• Ensure doors, hallways, stairs, and other exit routes are free of obstructions;
• Dispose of combustible waste in covered, airtight, metal containers;
• Use and store flammable materials in well-ventilated areas away from ignition sources;
• Use only nonflammable cleaning products;
• Keep incompatible (chemically reactive) substances away from each other;
• Perform “hot work” in controlled and well-ventilated areas;
• Keep equipment in good working order; inspect electrical wiring and appliances regularly and keep motors and machine tools free of dust and grease;
• Ensure that heating units are safeguarded;
• Report all gas leaks immediately to the Plan Administrator, who will ensure they are repaired immediately;
• Repair and clean up flammable liquid leaks immediately;
• Keep work areas free of dust, lint, sawdust, scraps and similar materials;
• Refrain from relying on extension cords if wiring improvements are needed;
• Ensure that circuits aren’t overloaded with multiple pieces of equipment;
• Ensure that required hot-work permits are obtained; and
• Turn off electrical equipment when it’s not in use.

1. FIRE EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE, INSPECTION & TESTING

The Plan Administrator will ensure that equipment is maintained according to manufacturers' specifications, as well as National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) codes applicable to the specific equipment. The following equipment is subject to maintenance, inspection and testing procedures:

• Equipment installed to detect fuel leaks, control heating, and control pressurized systems;
• Portable fire extinguishers, automatic sprinkler systems, and fixed extinguishing systems;
• Detection systems for smoke, heat, or flame;
• Fire alarm systems; and
• Emergency backup systems and the equipment they support.

1. TYPES OF FIRE HAZARDS

6.1 Electrical Fire Hazards

Electrical system failures and the misuse of electrical equipment are a common cause of workplace fires. Fires can result from loose ground connections; wiring with frayed insulation; or overloaded fuses, circuits, motors, or outlets. To prevent electrical fires, supervisors and employees must:

• Make sure worn wires are replaced;
• Use only appropriately rated fuses;
• Never use extension cords as substitutes for permanent wiring;
• Use only approved extension cords [those with the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) or Factory Mutual (FM) label];
• Check wiring in hazardous locations where fire risk is especially high;
• Check electrical equipment to ensure it’s properly grounded or double insulated; and
• Ensure adequate spacing during maintenance.

6.2 Portable Heaters

All portable heaters in the workplace must be approved by the Plan Administrator. In addition:

• Portable electric heaters must have tip-over protection that automatically shuts off the unit when it’s tipped over;
• Portable heaters may only be plugged into a wall outlet and never into an extension cord or cubicle outlet; and
• Adequate clearance between the heater and combustible furnishings or other materials must be always maintained.

6.3 Office Fires

To prevent office fires, supervisors and employees must:

• Avoid overloading circuits with office equipment;
• Turn off and unplug nonessential electrical equipment, such as coffee pots, at the end of each workday;
• Keep storage areas clear of trash;
• Ensure that extension cords aren’t placed under carpets; and
• Ensure that trash and paper set aside for recycling isn’t allowed to accumulate.
  • Cutting, Welding, & Open-Flame Work

The Plan Administrator will ensure that:

• All necessary hot work permits are obtained before work begins;
• Cutting and welding is done by authorized personnel in designated areas whenever possible;
• Adequate ventilation is provided;
• Torches, regulators, pressure-reducing valves, and manifolds are UL-listed or FM-approved;
• Oxygen-fuel gas systems are equipped with listed or approved backflow valves and pressure-relief devices;
• Cutters, welders, and helpers wear the required eye protection and protective clothing;
• Cutting or welding is banned:
  • In sprinklered buildings while sprinkler protection is out of service;
  • In areas where explosive atmospheres of gases, vapors, or dusts could develop from residues or accumulations in confined spaces; and
  • On metal walls, ceilings, or roofs built of combustible sandwich-type panel construction or combustible covering;
• Confined spaces, such as tanks, are tested to ensure that the atmosphere isn’t more than 10% of the lower flammable limit before cutting or welding in or on the tank;
• Small tanks, piping, or containers that cannot be entered are cleaned, purged and tested before cutting or welding on them begins; and
• Required fire watches are established.
  • Flammable & Combustible Materials

The Plan Administrator will regularly evaluate the presence of combustible materials at ABC Company worksites. To ensure the safe handling of Class A combustibles, supervisors and workers must:

• Dispose of waste daily;
• Keep trash in metal-lined receptacles with tight-fitting covers (metal wastebaskets that are emptied every day don’t need to be covered);
• Keep work areas clean and free of fuel paths that could allow a fire to spread;
• Keep combustibles away from accidental ignition sources, such as hot plates, soldering irons or other heat- or spark-producing devices;
• Store paper stock in metal cabinets;
• Store rags in metal bins with self-closing lids;
• Refrain from ordering excessive amounts of combustibles; and
• Frequently inspect areas where combustibles are kept.

Extinguishing: Water, multi-purpose dry chemical (ABC), and halon 1211 are approved fire-extinguishing agents for Class A combustibles

To ensure the safe handling of Class B combustibles, supervisors and workers must:

• Use only approved pumps, taking suction from the top, to dispense liquids from tanks, drums, barrels or similar containers (or use approved self-closing valves or faucets);
• Not dispense Class B flammable liquids into containers unless the nozzle and container are electrically interconnected by contact or a bonding wire—either the tank or container must be grounded;
• Store, handle, and use Class B combustibles only in approved locations where vapours are prevented from reaching ignition sources, such as heating or electric equipment, open flames, or mechanical or electric sparks;
• Not use a flammable liquid as a cleaning agent inside a building, except a closed machine approved for cleaning with flammable liquids;
• Not use, handle, or store Class B combustibles near exits, stairs or other areas normally used as exits;
• Not weld, cut, grind, or use unsafe electrical appliances or equipment near Class B combustibles;
• Not generate heat, allow an open flame or smoke near Class B combustibles;
• Know the location of and how to use the nearest portable fire extinguisher rated for Class B fire; and
• Not use water to extinguish Class B fires caused by flammable liquids. Water can cause burning liquid to spread, making the fire worse.

Extinguishing: To extinguish a fire caused by flammable liquids, the air around the burning liquid must be excluded. The following fire-extinguishing agents are approved for Class B combustibles: carbon dioxide, multi-purpose dry chemical (ABC), halon 1301, and halon 1211. (NOTE: Halon is an ozone-depleting substance and is no longer being manufactured. Existing systems using halon can be kept in place, but employers must post signs indicating where halon or other agents that pose a serious health hazard are used.)

6.6 Smoking

Smoking is prohibited in all ABC Company buildings. Certain outdoor areas may also be designated as no smoking areas; such areas will be designated by NO SMOKING signs.

1. FIRE SAFETY TRAINING

The Plan Administrator will either personally deliver or designate in-house or outside instructors to deliver basic fire prevention training to all employees when they’re hired training. Such training will cover:

• The different fire safety hazards to which employees are exposed;
• How to recognize fire hazards;
• A review of this Fire Prevention Plan, where it’s kept and how it can be accessed;
• A review of the ABC Company EREP, Plan, where it’s kept and how it can be accessed;
• Good housekeeping practices;
• Safe work procedures;
• Proper response and notification in the event of a fire; and
• Proper use of portable fire extinguishers and any other fire extinguishing equipment the employee is responsible for using.

Employees will receive retraining or refresher training at least once a year and more frequently after changes that may affect their exposure and adequacy of the previous fire training they received, including:

• Transfers or changes in job assignments or duties;
• Changes to their responsibilities under the EREP; and
• Changes to operations, equipment or procedures that pose different or new fire hazards.

The Plan Administrator will maintain records documenting fire safety training provided to each employee, including the date of training and name and signature of the trainer that provided it. Such records will be retained for at least two years.

1. MONITORING & REVIEW

The Plan Administrator will review and evaluate this Plan on an annual basis, and more frequently in response to fire incidents, including near misses, and significant changes to work operations, the equipment and supplies used to carry them out and where the operations are performed.