Tips for the tenant: how to protect the premises from fire.
Tips for the tenant: how to protect the premises from fire. Therefore, the tenant must first and foremost ensure compliance with fire safety regulations and protect the premises from fire.
The rented premises contain expensive office equipment, software and databases, furniture, goods, exhibition equipment, documents necessary for business activities. The owner of the enterprise, the staff, and the state, which strictly regulates fire safety rules for all business entities, are interested in the safety of this property. Therefore, the management of the enterprise should take care of compliance with the fire safety rules established by the current legislation.
«Paperwork» and fire safety
In the Russian Federation, compliance with fire safety regulations is monitored by state fire inspectors who conduct inspections of property complexes and rented premises. Based on the results of the inspections, reports and orders are drawn up that are mandatory for legal entities and individual entrepreneurs, and administrative penalties are applied to officials of enterprises responsible for compliance with fire safety regulations if violations are detected.
The state inspector has the right to suspend the operation of the enterprise for a period until the deficiencies reflected in the order are eliminated. In this regard, compliance with the statutory fire safety rules allows not only to ensure the safety of the rented premises, the enterprise's own fixed assets and documentation from fire, but also to guarantee its normal operation without forced holidays.
The enterprise must appoint a person responsible for compliance with fire safety regulations by order and issue instructions that all employees must sign to familiarize themselves with. Each legal entity is required to keep a log of regular employee briefings on fire safety regulations. Having taken these simple measures, the director of the enterprise can calmly wait for a visit from the fire inspector, provided that the fire safety regulations in the premises are strictly observed.
Mandatory fire safety measures
The administration of the enterprise must ensure that all rented premises have free evacuation passages to the entrance doors. The passages must be at least one meter wide and must not be blocked by furniture or other property.
The person responsible for fire safety must carry out constant and real control of the condition of electrical networks, sockets and switches. In no case should faulty electrical appliances be used in the premises, external electrical wires should be laid, especially on a flammable base, and temporary electrical networks should be installed.
In accordance with fire safety regulations, paper, documents and other flammable materials can be stored at a distance of at least one meter from electrical panels, and at least half a meter from lighting fixtures. In industrial and rented office premises, it is strictly forbidden to smoke and use flammable liquids, as well as to turn on kettles, boilers and other electrical appliances without non-flammable stands, especially in places not suitable for this. At the end of the working day, all office premises must be inspected by the person responsible for fire safety, it is necessary to ensure that this process is not formal, but real.
A rented office or store must be provided with fire extinguishing equipment. The number and range of fire extinguishing equipment must comply with established standards, all of them must be in working order, and access to them must be free. If possible, the premises must be equipped with fire alarms.
Additional fire safety measures
The tenant of the premises can take care of strengthening the fire safety of their office or store. The lease agreement, as a rule, gives the tenant the right to make cosmetic repairs and minor alterations. When starting repair work in the rented premises, when buying construction and finishing materials, be sure to choose only those that, according to the existing classification, are considered the least flammable. If the walls of the office can be treated with special compounds that reduce flammability and the ability to ignite, it is better to do so.
When carrying out repair and construction work in a rented premises, be sure to pay attention to the electrical wiring, sockets and switches. An experienced electrician will give an expert assessment of the state of the power supply system. If it leaves much to be desired — it is wise to repair it. This will not require large financial costs, but will significantly increase the safety of your business.
Fire doors are offered on the market of products and materials for repair and construction works. The technology of manufacturing and installing such doors allows them to withstand fire from 15 minutes to 6 hours. If you believe that the safety of your property in an office, store or beauty salon is worth ensuring their effective protection from fire, you can go to such expenses and install fire doors in the rented premises.
For storing accounting documents and personal files of employees, it is best to use not just safes, but fireproof cabinets. Then the «chronicle» of your company will be reliably protected from fire.