18 June 2021

In the anniversary week of the Grenfell tragedy, CNWL’s new Fire Safety Officer has been issued fire safety advice for staff and members of the public.

Stuart Low, who works for CNWL’s wholly-owned estates subsidiary QTS, has divided the advice into two sections: workplace advice and advice for the home, with specific advice for candles, barbecues, cooking and electrical items.

The advice provided is sourced from London Fire Brigade.

 

Advice-Workplace

Source

1

Offices

Top causes of fires within the office are electrical distribution, lighting and smoking materials.

Advice

Could staff check their workplace to ensure their electrical equipment is in good condition. No frayed or exposed wires.

That extension leads are not cracked or overused. Quite often we see daisy chains of extension leads, connected one to another. This overloads the cable and causes them to overheat.

Lighting needs to be carefully placed. Switched off when not in use, placed on a stable firm flat base.

Smoking….we still spot illicit smoking inside buildings. Please smoke outside and dispose of butts safely.

 

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-workplace/office-environments/

2

Wards and community health settings working with vulnerable people

Top causes of fire

Cooking, kitchen appliances and smoking related. We find the most common cause is cooking left unattended. Staff put cooking on and get easily distracted, leaving the kitchen.

Advice

Keep smoking to outside of the building or better still to give up.

Check kitchen appliances are in good condition. Toasters and microwaves are the biggest offenders. Please stay in the kitchen when cooking toast or the microwave. In that way you can keep an eye out and prevent burnt toast!

Most of our kitchens no longer have cookers. All toasting should take place in the kitchen, which is built to contain a fire.

 

https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-workplace/residential-care-homes/

 

 

Advice -Home

Ref https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/cooking/

 

Cooking is the number one cause of fires in the home.

Try not to leave cooking on a hob or under a grill unattended. If you have to leave turn the heat off. It is easy to be distracted and forget what is on the hob.

Keep the stove area clear of loose materials: Paper and tea towels commonly catch light.

Keep the cooker clean. Grease and fat can build up and be reignited at a later date.

A domestic smoke detector is a great way to instantly improve safety. These will give early warning of fire or smoke. Time for you to evacuate or turn that hob off.

  
  1.  Try not to leave cooking unattended on the hob or grill – if you have to leave the kitchen, turn off the heat.
  2. Not feeling 100%? Order a takeaway – if you're very tired, have been drinking alcohol or are taking medication that might make you drowsy, it's safer not to risk it.
  3. Be fabric aware – loose clothing can easily catch fire, so take care not to lean over a hot hob, and always keep tea towels and cloths away from the cooker and hob.
  4. Try to keep the oven, hob, cooker hood, extractor fan and grill clean – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire.
  5. Use spark devices to light gas cookers – they are much safer than matches or lighters, as they don’t have a naked flame. They are safer around children, too.
  6. Double check the cooker and hob are turned off when you’ve finished cooking – if you're forgetful (or someone you care for can be), why not take a photo if you have a smartphone? The action will remind you to double check every time.
  7. Check toasters are clean and not placed under kitchen cabinets or close to anything that can catch fire.