Common Fire Hazards in Grocery and Convenience Stores
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), grocery stores and convenience stores have the highest frequency of fires, at 28 percent. And, if you think about it, those statistics make sense. There are a ton of grocery store fire hazards in Lawrenceville, GA lying around. This post will teach you a few of the most common fire hazards in these businesses:
- Heating equipment: Most grocery and convenience stores have grab-and-go food options, many of which are hot items. Though these treats are nice for customers in a hurry, the heating elements pose a significant fire hazard. Be sure to inspect the heating systems regularly to ensure they’re up to code.
- Electrical systems: Rows upon rows of fluorescent lights and industrial coolers are just two of the massive electrical systems found in every grocery store across the country. As long as they’re maintained and up to code, the electrical systems are harmless. But, if they’re not, a rogue spark from a failing system can cause a devastating fire. Again, be sure to have inspections performed regularly.
- Discarded boxes: Before they’re sold to customers, most grocery items arrive from the distributor in huge cardboard boxes. Since continuously carrying them to the dumpster can be an arduous task, they often get left in piles on the ground. Obviously, that’s not good, especially if they’re near an electrical outlet or if sparks may be present. Be sure to keep boxes off the ground and away from any flammable objects.
- Smoking: Even though they’re outside, employee smoking areas can easily cause a fire. Just a small, rogue ash from the tip of a cigarette can cause a fire that could burn down the entire building. Be sure that all designated smoking areas are far away from the building and that there are proper receptacles to hold ashes.
Protect your store with proper equipment installation
The only good thing about grocery store fire hazards in Lawrenceville, GA is that they’re easy to prevent. Install the following safety items to lower the chance of a fire:
- Extinguishers: To stay in compliance with fire codes and to ensure the safety of everyone in the store, you must have fire extinguishers placed throughout your building. Be sure that they’re all easily accessible and that all of your employees know how to use one.
- Suppression systems: The top equipment for convenience store fire hazard prevention in Lawrenceville, GA is a fire suppression system. Our fire suppression systems deliver water or other fire-smothering materials as soon as smoke is detected in the building.
- Alarms: All employees and customers need to know that a fire has broken out—that’s why your store must have plenty of fire alarms installed. Though they’re loud and annoying, our fire alarms ensure everyone is aware that there’s a fire, and that they need to evacuate.
Whether you need to learn more about convenience store fire hazard prevention in Lawrenceville, GA, or you need to install some of the equipment mentioned above, give AAA Fire Protection Resources, Inc. a call. On top of selling and installing safety gear, we provide fire safety consultations for all sorts of businesses.
Categorised in: Fire Hazards
This post was written by Writer