When designing an office space for your business, you must mitigate the risk of fires in the office, and there are many things you can consider doing to help achieve this. It is worth making this investment for your business as it can significantly help to save lives should your office space catch fire. You can help protect your employees’ lives in these circumstances and reduce the chances of a fire in your workplace being deadly. Below are some things you can do to your office and incorporate these features into its design to help mitigate the risk of fire spreading and help keep your employees safe.
Protecting The Office Walls
When erecting the internal walls of your office, you can use fireproof plasterboard from Workplace Interior Shop to help prevent a fire from taking hold in your office. You can use various fire-rated plasterboards for your office layout and different lengths of time they are rated for, such as 30 or 60 minutes. Look at the various options for plasterboard that is fireproof, which can help protect your office and your employees should a fire break out in your workspace.
Fire-Rated Ceiling Tiles
You can also use fire-rated ceiling tiles in your office, which can help stop a fire from spreading as quickly in your office. Many options are available for fire-rated ceiling tiles, and they are available in various designs. A common material is a metal tile for this type of ceiling, but other options are available if you prefer. You do not have to use these throughout your office, but it is advisable if you do, and areas designated as fire escapes must have a fire-rated ceiling.
Select Soft Furnishings Carefully
You will also want to be careful when selecting soft furnishing for your office space, including curtains and blinds, sofas and chairs, and rugs and carpets. You must ensure that any items you decide to get for your office space are flame retardant, which can significantly affect how quickly a fire can take hold of a room. Ensure you purchase your soft furnishings from a reputable supplier that sells quality products, and it can help keep everyone in your office space safe.
Install A Sprinkler System
Contrary to what many people think, a sprinkler system, (automatic fire suppression systems) is not there to put out fires in buildings and is there to help slow down the spread if a fire occurs. You will want one of these installed in your office space that will turn on automatically when a fire is detected, and the alarm is raised. You can hide the pipes for the sprinkler system behind a suspended ceiling, and the sprinklers will pop out of the ceiling tiles in strategic locations throughout the area. They effectively control fires when they break out and prevent them from spreading too quickly before the fire brigade arrives.
Consider the above factors when designing your office space, and you can help prevent fires from becoming deadly in your office should one break out. Ensure you prioritise the safety of your employees and give them adequate training to help prevent fires; hopefully, you will never have to experience a fire in your office.