FIRE SAFETY TIPS FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Fires can be devastating to any business, but smaller firms tend to have less cushion financially and more to lose, making this threat especially dangerous. If you own a small business, make sure you take all of the steps necessary to mitigate the risk of and prepare for fire.

Inherent danger
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a federal entity dedicated to workplace and worker safety, estimated 3 percent of casualties that occurred on the job were due to fires in 2007, per the most recent data available. Fire Magazine, a publication devoted to news regarding fires, notes that 60 percent of small businesses fail to re-open after experiencing a fire.

Tips to prevent fires
The Texas Department of Insurance, an agency in the state that covers insurance topics and legislation, suggests minimizing the number of flammable materials stored in the office. This ranges from batteries and paperwork to packaging materials and beyond. Make sure the materials you do store in the workplace are managed properly to avoid fires.

Alarm.org, an Electronic Security Association website devoted to fire safety, recommends that businesses prevent circuits from becoming overloaded and that wiring from electronics are regularly checked for damage. Damage could include exposure of underlying metal cords.

Ensure that your information is always backed up in either an off-site facility or in a cloud computing environment, in case the main office is compromised in a fire.