Fire Protection Equipment You Should Have on Your Construction Site

A range of issues in your construction site may result in the outbreak of a fire: electrical faults, lightning, combustible building materials, the presence of flammable liquids and gases, the use of construction tools that may produce sparks or even smoking. Construction site fires can be catastrophic because they can lead to injuries, deaths and destruction of property. For this reason, fire safety should be a major concern on your construction site. One way to ensure fire safety in your construction site is to invest in fire protection products and equipment. Here are some of the key equipment you will need.

Fire Alarm System

The first step to protecting people from a fire as well as saving your property from being consumed by it is to alert them of a fire outbreak. Therefore, the first equipment you need on your construction site as regards fire safety is a fire alarm system. The ideal alarm system for your construction site will depend on the size of your work site. For instance, if you are working on a relatively small site where detecting a fire is much easier, a simple shouting of "FIRE!" may be enough. On the other hand, air horns, manual bells etc. can work well for small- to medium-sized construction sites. Whichever alarm system you use, make sure all the people on site understand what it means.

For larger construction sites or as your site grows larger, you will need a more sophisticated alarm system. That's because it is easy for a fire to grow undetected in a large area. Therefore, you may need an integrated fire detection and fire alarm system. Your interconnected alarm system should have sounders or call points. Have as many fire detectors as possible in the high-risk areas. Remember that your alarm system can be wired or wireless depending on your site needs and may be modified as your site grows.

Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers are highly invaluable when it comes to putting out fires that are still at the inception stage. However, different fire extinguishers are designed for different types of fires. Therefore, it is important that you have the right one on your site. Water fire extinguishers are usually meant for rubbish, wood, textile, and paper fires. For electrical fires, carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are the best. Foam fire extinguishers are designed for flammable liquids such as paint and petrol while powder fire extinguishers are ideal for both flammable liquids and electrical fires.

It is important that you have all these types of fire extinguishers on your construction site. Also, ensure all your workers understand how and where to use the different types of fire extinguishers. Most importantly, make sure the fire extinguishers are mounted in places that are easy to reach in case of a fire outbreak.