When winter rolls around, you might not think twice about where you hang your coat, but did you know that something as simple as this could become a huge fire hazard?
If you’re the person in charge of fire safety at work, you need to take a close look at where coats and personal items are kept on the premises.
From not hanging coats near a heater to keeping fire escape routes free; these seemingly small things can make an enormous difference in the event of a fire emergency.
This blog will help you identify some critical do’s and don’ts of coat storage to keep your workplace and occupants protected.
Are your winter coats a fire risk?
In a 2020 court case in Wakefield, a school and a fire risk assessor were fined after admitting to several fire safety offences across educational premises – one of which was that there were coat hooks lining an escape route.
National Guidance issued by the government considers cloakrooms a ‘high risk’ area due to their potential for rapid fire spread, so as a fire warden or responsible person, you need to make sure they aren’t open to circulation spaces or escape routes.
Coat fire safety checklist
With job loss, fines, and legal action all acting as serious repercussions for negligence, it’s always worth making sure your premises are compliant with fire safety legislation when it comes to cloakrooms.
Here are some other things to consider – whether your premises has a cloakroom or not:
- Are coats hanging on the back of chairs, or do they lean directly onto heaters or radiators?
- Do coathooks overhang heaters or line your corridors?
- If you provide a cloakroom, does it open onto an escape route or corridor? If it does, will it require a self-closing fire door?
- Are clothing/bags left on the floor or tucked under desks? This could be hazardous in the case of a fire emergency.
- If coats, bags, or other items of clothing are hanging on doors, are they fire escape doors?
- Are items of clothing blocking or obscuring fire safety equipment?
If you’re an employer and answered yes to any of these questions, you may be putting your employees at risk. Make sure you’re staying compliant and get a fire risk assessment for peace of mind.
Can you put hooks on fire doors?
No; you should not install hooks or encourage employees to hang clothes or bags on fire doors. This could result in an obstruction of the door mechanism and prevent a quick escape.
Where should employees store their coats?
Now that you know what not to do, here are some tips on what you should be doing to keep your business safe and compliant:
- Keep all coats and bags clear of escape routes. This will ensure they don’t delay escape by blocking routes or causing a trip hazard.
- Keep them away from any ignition or heat sources, such as portable heaters, as they’re combustible.
- If possible, provide a specific room (or lockers) for personal belongings, with a fire door, which is separate from the workplace.
- Make sure employees store personal items carefully under their desks, to ensure they don’t get tangled in bag handles.
- Hanging coats on the back of chairs is fine as long as they are off the floor.
- Where more than one escape route is available (and depending on the findings of your fire risk assessment), a small coat rack may be acceptable if the minimum exit widths are maintained, and the item presents a relatively low fire risk.
Fire Safety Checks For Businesses
An essential part of every professional fire risk assessment is ensuring that fire safety checks are carried out and recorded regularly.
Booking regular, professional fire safety checks will help you ensure that as you go through the year, changes in seasonal attire, like winter coats (which could present new fire hazards), will be identified and managed.
We at FireRiskAssessments.com are trusted and experienced fire safety providers, who conduct over 300 fire risk assessments per month. Get your free quote today for complete protection and peace of mind.