If you want to keep your employees or coworkers safe, there are a lot of equipment that is essential to have in optimal condition and ready to use. We list just the most important ones for you:
Fire extinguisher
In every workplace, there should be one of these. A fire extinguisher can maintain the safety of a lot of personnel or even save their lives. They can also be crucial to avoid fire from spreading around and thus, saving a lot of material goods and property from being damaged without repair.
The thing with fire extinguishers is that they need to be operated correctly and effectively so it can last as much as needed when an emergency occurs. Due to most of them being filled monthly on schedule, if more than an emergency occurs before the programmed refilling is done, if the fire extinguisher is not that big, it may be little extinguisher fluid left. All personnel inside the facility should know how to operate the fire extinguisher adequately and do not waste the fluid when using it. It is very important to note that this fluid can save lives. Employees should never play with the extinguishers, and the ones who are caught incurring in this behavior should be punished to make an example out of them.
Fire extinguishers should be operated according to the instructions in their casings or tanks; this is, horizontally and aimed at the base of the flames. After its use, of course, if the emergency doesn’t demand further immediate attention, they should be put where they belong and safely blocked to prevent accidental activation. Remember, fire extinguishers are not a toy, they are serious safety tools, and everyone should know how to operate them to guarantee that everybody in the facility can carry through an emergency operation and keep their coworkers and the property safe, even if the emergency is too big to be operated only by bystanders.
They are often used to put out medium-sized, focused flames or to keep them from spreading around flammable equipment or furniture. For bigger fires, the best is to use fire hoses or simply calling the firefighters and leaving the facility.
Fire hoses and hydrants
In addition to fire extinguishers, fire hoses and hydrants are among the safety equipment that can often be operated by anyone near an emergency site. Fire hoses can sometimes be activated by bystander sometimes only needing a thin glass to be broken in order to be operated. Sometimes big facilities have these because their furniture is at risk of catching fire and spreading a lot or the placing of the offices is risky or in danger of catching fire rapidly. Fire hoses can sometimes be used to avoid a big set of flames from spreading around the facilities or reaching certain sensitive areas that are big enough to cause further spreading of the flames or a major tragedy.
In some places, water supply is limited, and fire hoses are considered sensible equipment. In any case, firefighters or bystanders alike should be able to use them with ease in a short amount of time, just enough so that a response to the emergency can be given. If the people around the emergency are not capable of operating them, they should step aside or leave the emergency area so more qualified people can solve the problem soon enough. Sometimes firefighters might need to identify the people around an emergency.
Wounded personnel can be easily be identified, and they can also ask a supervisor or manager for the location of certain areas that are fundamental to attend the emergency, such as the power room, the location of water supplies and the like. The important thing is to make things easier for them to do their job as quickly as possible and solve the risky situation.
ID cards
Yes, ID cards are one of the essential safety element at a workplace. Especially, if you have an organization that deals with vulnerable equipments, details, security, etc, you must maintain a proper identification method to keep those sensible area safe and secure. ID cards with visible photo, name and designation of the employee is needed. Also, lanyards should be used to make the name of the company instantly visible.
Safety helmet
In most workplaces where there can be falling debris or risk of dangerous falling material from upper areas, safety helmets are a must. It is important to remember that human heads are one of the most vulnerable parts of the body and that protecting them can save your life. A lot of people have died of head trauma during work hours and protecting your head is like using the safety belt while driving. You never know when it may save you from dying at work.