National Fire Prevention Month

Do you know that most fires that happened in workplace and homes can be prevented?

Edmund, GICG’s Regional Manager (Technical & Process Excellence) explains the importance of choosing the right appliances and power voltage for your home and about ways to prevent fires, including methods such as inspecting your heat sources, electrical appliances, maintain your electrical cords and updating your smoke alarms.

Electrical and naked heat sources are the two most common sources of domestic fires.

Since electricity powers most of the items we use, consumers are inadvertently increasing their exposure to electrical fires at home and at work.

The following are some safety tips for consumers to keep in mind at home:

  1. Unplug appliances when not in use, especially those that generate heat such as kettles and toasters.
  2. Always connect one plug to each electrical receptacle; avoid overloading the receptacle by using multi-plug adapters.
  3. Check wires regularly for gaps or noticeable damage to cable insulation.
  4. Use appliances of compatible voltages. This would depend on which country you are in.

The safety of workplaces include, for example

  1. Develop a fire escape plan for your office, make sure everyone knows what to do in an emergency.
  2. Take care of fire alarms, sprinkler systems, firefighting equipment, emergency protocol, etc.
  3. Appoint Fire Marshals
  4. Ensure all employees receive fire safety training
  5. Display fire safety signage
  6. Conduct fire drill
  7. Mitigate your fire risks

 

As winter approaches in northern hemisphere countries, the use of home heating systems will increase greatly. Heating systems should be turned off when no one is at home, and flammable materials should not be placed near them.

Lighted candles are a popular home decoration during the holiday season. The use of naked flames near flammable items, such as home textiles and greeting cards, should be avoided.

A flammability test determines how easily a material or finished product will ignite or burn in the presence of fire or heat. In addition to causing public safety concerns, failure to comply with flammability testing requirements also restricts market access and can lead to regulatory enforcement actions.

As regional regulations and restrictions are very diverse and may be confusing for many, GICG helps customers to navigate through these complex flammability requirements by providing a wide variety of flammability testing services to meet regulations such as 16 CFR 1610, BS 5852, and California Technical Bulletin 117.

 

Learn more about Flammability Testing:

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