Fire is a major health and safety risk, no matter what role or sector you are currently working in. It can consume rooms and buildings in seconds and can leave more than a repair bill at the end.
As such, it is essential that workers know what to do when they need to – this also involves organisations having up-to-date fire safety systems in place. Failure to ensure workplace health and safety compliance can also lead to large financial fines, not to mention the human cost of poor work site safety.
A safety app can be a major boost to your health and safety procedures.
Fire leads to big fines for company
A recent incident involving gas cutting work has left a man with serious injuries and a Taranaki scrap metal yard with large fines. The worker was cutting a wire rope with a gas cutter back in 2014 when his overalls caught fire. His attempts to use the fire hose to douse the flames were foiled as there was no running water. This was because the council had shut it off to repair a broken fire hydrant.
The company the gas cutter was working for was given a two-day warning that the water would be shut off. However, the worker was not told.
While a colleague put out the flames with a wet rag, the worker suffered serious burns and spent over a week in hospital.
WorkSafe's Chief Inspector Keith Stewart said the company should have had a plan in place to deal with this contingency. He believes it should also have fire extinguishers and water available whenever gas cutting is being undertaken.
"If you're doing anything where there is a real risk of fire you have to be prepared to put it out. Given that the water was off that day it would have been prudent to avoid gas-cutting work altogether," he said.
Construction site safety and fire precautions
Construction presents a number of unique challenges to work site safety, and fire is a major hazard. The case above is a clear example where a company has failed to have the necessary processes in place to protect workers.
While there are a number of contingencies, hazards and risks to keep track off, there is no excuse for failure. One way to ensure processes are properly implemented and maintained is through the use of a safety app – such as SiteApp.
With a range of features on offer, organisations can make sure that their staff and their processes are up-to-date. If you would like to know more, contact a representative of SiteApp today.
