If you run a small shop, workshop, salon or office, fire safety can feel like one more job on a long list. The good news is that the basics are simple, and a clear plan protects your people, your stock and your business.
Five starting points
- Know who is responsible. The person in control of the premises has the main duty. See our guide on the person in control.
- Look for what can burn and what can start a fire. Stock, waste, heaters, electrics, cooking and smoking.
- Check your way out. Exits should be clear, easy to open from inside and well signed.
- Have working warning and equipment. Detection and alarm, emergency lighting where needed and suitable extinguishers.
- Tell people and write it down. Staff should know what to do, and a simple fire safety register records checks and actions.
Common small-business slips
- Storing stock in corridors or in front of exits
- Wedging fire doors open
- Never testing the alarm
- Letting waste build up out the back
- Forgetting new staff and part-timers
When to get help
If you share a building, have staff or customers on upper floors, handle flammable materials or are simply unsure, a professional fire risk assessment gives you a written picture and a clear action list.
Your duties
The Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 expect reasonable measures to protect people from fire.
Call 086 275 9728 or email info@safersolutions.ie for a no-obligation chat. Read about fire risk assessments in Ireland.