As the pandemic is ongoing, more and more people are now working from home. This has led many people who have never worked outside of their office to get to grips with the differences with their home offices. Thus, it’s a must to take extra caution for home fire safety amid Coronavirus.
If you’re working from home, you may not have thought about the fire safety around your new set up. In an office, the fire safety protocols are put in place by your building management, so you never needed to think about it until now.
Now that you’re working from your home, there is an increase in fire risks. The NFPA has put out tips for those working from home to help them identify and reduce those risks.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to keep yourself and your family safe from fire during this time.
Electrical Fires
One of the main things you’ll need to watch out for is electrical fires. If you’ve never worked from home before, you’ll have had to create a workspace quite quickly. This means many people are working in spaces that are at risk of an electrical fire.
Firstly, consider whether there are enough power outlets in your work space. Many have started using extension leads as they don’t have an outlet near their table or desk, which creates a lot of risks. An extension lead can be tripped over, causing damage and potentially leading to fires. Power strips are also capable of overloading an outlet, which again can lead to fire.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, try and work in a space that’s close to a power outlet, and keep wires neat and out of the way. Try not to use power strips unless you need to. If you do need to use them, ensure that you’re unplugging them once they’re not in use.
As you’re at home more often, you’ll have to think about how you’re charging your electronics too. Ensure that you don’t charge your phone or other items with anything other than the lead it came with. It’s also vital that you don’t keep your phone under your pillow at night, as this can lead it to overheat and catch fire.
Consider your devices that use light bulbs too. You’ll see that they all have a designed wattage on them, usually labeled with a sticker. When buying a new light bulb, buy one that is the matching wattage. This ensures the device will be safe to use.
Heating Fires
Although summer is on the way, cold kitchens and bedrooms mean that you’ll need to find a way to heat them while you’re working. There have been more people buying space heaters, in order to warm up their workspace while they’re using them. These need to be used correctly though, in order to avoid electrical fires.
When using a space heater, it needs to be kept well away from any soft furnishings that may be flammable. That includes sofas, curtains, beds, and more. If they’re too close, they can overheat and catch fire. This advice goes for open fireplaces too as errant sparks can easily come out and burn these items without you seeing it happen.
As children are at home too right now, you’ll need to be extra careful with them and heating devices. It’s best to have a ‘kid free zone’ around them of at least three feet. This keeps them safe and stops them from getting burns by being too close.
If you’re using a portable heater, it’s very easy to forget about it while you’re working. You don’t want to leave it unattended, but many have forgotten to switch them off once they’re done using them. It’s even worse if it’s left on overnight, as it poses a risk of Co2 poisoning. You need to ensure that you’re turning the heater off once you leave the room. If you’re prone to forgetting, set an alarm on your phone or place a sticky note on your computer monitor reminding you to do so.
On the subject of carbon monoxide poisoning, ensure that Co2 detectors are installed in your home. These will alert you if levels of Co2 get too high in your home, so you can get out before you encounter any danger. If you do smell gas or hear your detector go off, evacuate and call the fire service to help you.
Cooking Fires
While you’re home more often now, you’re going to be cooking more often too. This leads to a new increased risk of fires in your kitchen. If you’re already vigilant around kitchen fires then you’ll already know how to prevent them. However, it’s worth being aware of the ways that fires can happen, as kitchen fires can spread quickly.
Firstly, when cooking anything in your home ensure you don’t leave it unattended. If you’re there in the kitchen while you’re waiting on food to cook, you can react quickly if a fire does happen. It’s also a good idea to invest in a fire extinguisher or a fire blanket, and learn how to use them so you’re ready should the worst happen.
If there are children in the home, be on guard while you’re cooking with them. You want to ensure they don’t have access to anything that can cause them harm as you make food. Keep handles on the stove top turned inwards, so they can’t be knocked off. Also, keep children away from the oven and any areas where hot food or drink is created.
If you’re tired or have consumed alcohol, remember that you shouldn’t start cooking in your kitchen. Your reaction times are lowered, and you’re more at risk of starting a fire or becoming injured. It’s best to ask someone else to cook, or avoid cooking until later on.
Final Thought
A lot of the tips here are common advice for avoiding fires in the home. With the Coronavirus spread still ongoing, and with more people still in their homes, you have to be more careful.
Follow these tips to keep yourself and your home safe from fire during this time.
