When it comes to construction sites, safety should always be a priority. As the owner of a construction company, you owe it to your crew to maintain safe and secure construction sites. Part of that responsibility includes the use of fire extinguishers on each of your construction sites. You might think that you've covered all the bases for your fire extinguisher plans, but you might be surprised. To make sure your construction sites are protected against onsite fires, here are four tips to help you with your fire extinguisher needs.
Choose the Right Number of Extinguishers
If you're investing in fire extinguishers for your construction sites, you want to go beyond a single-count investment. You might think that one fire extinguisher is sufficient for each construction site, but that's not the case. One fire extinguisher per site may ensure compliance with safety regulations, but that's not far enough to provide the protection you actually need. To ensure maximum fire safety, you should actually have at least two fire extinguishers for each single-level construction project, and four fire extinguishers for each two-story construction project.
Make Extinguishers Easily Accessible
Once you have the right number of fire extinguishers for your construction sites, you also need to make sure that you ensure ease-of-accessibility. First, choose locations that are accessible from multiple areas of the construction site. The best way to do that is to place one fire extinguisher at each end of the site. Next, be sure that the fire extinguishers are temporarily mounted to a wall or beam. Mounting your fire extinguishers will prevent them from being misplaced.
Label Your Fire Extinguishers
When it comes to investing in fire extinguishers for your construction sites, you want to make sure that you go beyond general use. It's okay to have one or two general use fire extinguishers. But, you also want to have specific-use fire extinguishers, especially where electrical wiring and flammable liquids are concerned. Investing in specific-use fire extinguishers will allow you to react to the types of fires that can erupt on a construction site. Be sure to label each of your fire extinguishers. That way, your crew can grab the right extinguisher when a fire erupts.
Provide Proper Training
Finally, now that you're choosing fire extinguishers for your construction sites, make sure your crew members know how to use them correctly. The best way to do that is to provide fire extinguisher training for your construction crews. Most local fire departments will provide training for commercial crews. Once your crews are trained for fire extinguisher use, they'll be ready to react when an emergency arises.
For more tips, contact a local fire extinguisher supplier.
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Of course, we are not painting homes or hanging ceilings here, but we do write about those topics. We've learned so much about the construction industry while doing our research, and now we're ready to share that information right here for you, our readers.