Guide to Fire Safety at Home and Work

Table of Contents

Whether at home or at work, fire safety must be always considered. It only takes an instant for a fire to break out, and once it does you have scant moments before deadly smoke fills your home or office. This guide will provide you with information on the common causes of fires at home and at work, as well as fire prevention safety tips to help you combat them.

Estimates from the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) indicate that in 2022, fire departments had to respond to fires every 21 seconds. And, every 88 seconds, a structural fire at someone’s home was reported.

According to data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), gathered by FEMA, in 2022 374,300 residential fires and 129,500 fires in non-residential buildings occurred in the U.S. As you can see from the following graphics, the primary culprit in both settings was cooking fires.

Heating fires were the second most common in residential buildings. These are followed by electrical malfunction fires, those caused by open flames, and finally smoking fires rounded out the top five most common causes of residential fires.

Once again, cooking was the leading cause of fires in non-residential buildings. Electrical malfunction and equipment malfunction complete the top three most common causes of non-residential building fires.

Fire safety begins with informing yourself around the risk of fire occurring within your home or workplace, as well as the hazards that could lead to a fire.

*Numbers are estimated averages from 2017-2019; percentages are based on 2022 totals.

**Data from National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS); percentages based on 2022 totals.

Fire Safety Plan and Risk Awareness

When addressing fire safety at work or at home, the first thing to do is a risk assessment. And the first step there is to identify all the hazards. A hazard is something that has the potential to cause harm, in this case, a fire. A fire hazard could be something like a frayed electrical wire or built-up grease on a cooking surface. A risk is the likelihood that a hazard will cause harm. In these two examples, the risk is high.

It’s easy to understand then how important it is to identify fire safety hazards around the home and workplace. Once this is done, the hazards, and therefore the risks, can be contained.

In a business setting these activities should be recorded, reported and reviewed regularly. Some hazards can’t be removed, only mitigated. For instance, if your business uses several computers at the same time, these generate a lot of heat. You may want to take measures to lessen the risk from this hazard.

As part of your fire safety plan, you may even want to provide and train your employees to use an appropriate fire extinguisher for electrical fires. A good fire extinguisher service can provide the training and all necessary inspections of the appropriate fire extinguishers for your business.

Providing or requiring fire extinguishers in your business, and determining that any of your employees will be evacuating in the event of a fire will subject you to federal regulation, (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157). This regulation requires your workplace to have an “Emergency Action Plan,” or EAP. If you have more than 10 employees, you must maintain your EAP in writing.

The minimum requirements of an EAP are:

  • Providing the means of reporting fires and other emergencies, such as calling 911 or pulling a fire alarm
  • Providing emergency procedures and emergency escape route assignments, including having employees shut doors as they leave, having escape route diagrams posted, and providing for whether employees will use fire extinguishers on small fires.
  • Providing procedures for employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate. This is one of those situations where an employee may have to use a fire extinguisher to accomplish their role to make conditions safe for employees and firefighters.
  • Providing for the accounting for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
  • Determining any rescue and medical duties for employees. Most smaller businesses don’t have in house rescue or medical personnel.
  • Providing the names or job titles of persons who can be contacted, i.e., the contact information of those who can provide more information and explain employees’ duties under the plan.

As a place of business, you must also have an alarm system that uses a distinctive signal for each purpose and complies with 29 CFR 1910.165. Section 1910.38(e) of this regulation requires employees to be designated and trained to help in the safe and orderly evacuation of other employees.

And lastly, the EAP must be reviewed with each of your employees who is covered by it

  • Either when the plan is created, or the employee is assigned to a job
  • Whenever your employee’s responsibilities with respect to the plan change, and
  • Whenever the plan itself changes

Though not required by OSHA, it’s a good idea to do fire evacuation drills with your employees on a regular basis. This will not only ensure that your employees know what to do, but it will also ensure that exits are not getting obstructed by anything and that your posted escape plans stay current and legible.

In the home setting, you should be on the lookout for fire safety hazards continuously. If any are found, they should be remedied immediately. For instance, if you discover an outlet that sparks when you try to put a plug in it, stop using it and get it fixed right away. The risk of harm to you and your home is too high to ignore.

A home fire safety plan should include two ways of escape from each room with the goal to escape the residence within two minutes. Fire and smoke spread very fast. Once that smoke alarm goes off, there may be actually less than two minutes to get out.

If there are children in the home, it’s a good idea to draw out the floorplan of your home and mark the ways out, doors and windows. Also mark the safe place where all the family members will meet once they’ve gotten out. Impress upon the children that once they’re outside, they must stay outside. Teach them to call 911 in a fire emergency once they’re safe and to report anyone still inside the home.

Make sure windows and doors are not blocked and open easily. If a fire ladder is necessary to escape an upstairs window, make sure the children know where it is and how to use it with ease.

Run drills as often as necessary to achieve time and action goals. Activate the smoke alarm when you do your drills so everyone, especially the children know what it sounds like and will respond immediately to the sound. Teach children to test doors for heat with the backs of their hands so they’ll know whether that way out is safe.

Practice staying low to the ground and going on hands and knees to your escape points.

Common Home Fire Hazards

Fire hazards abound in the home, from grease buildup in the kitchen to overloaded outlets. Information on specific hazards follows, along with fire safety tips to help mitigate the associated risk.

Kitchen Fire Safety

Given the statistics, kitchen fire safety is an ongoing concern. Cooking fires are the most common cause of residential fires. During 2017-2021, they accounted for 44% of all residential fires in the U.S., according to data collected by the NFPA. And, the most common cause of a residential cooking fire was, and still is walking away and leaving cooking unattended. This accounted for 28% of cooking fires.

Keep in mind that 66% of all residential cooking fires were caused by food, fat, oil, grease or some other cooking material igniting. So, keeping your attention on your cooking is clearly an important fire safety measure, as is keeping grease from building up on cooking surfaces and range hoods.

Another fire safety tip is to turn pot handles so that they don’t extend outward where they can accidentally cause the pot or pan to be overturned, causing a fire.

According to the American Apartment Owner’s Association (AAOA), the second most common cause of cooking fires is having flammable materials, such as paper towels, oven mitts, and even food too close to the heat source. They recommend that all such combustibles be kept at least three feet away from the source of heat, I.e., range, griddle, deep fryer, etc. The NFPA found that 10% of kitchen fires were started by combustibles being too close to a heat source in the kitchen and igniting. Failure to clean was responsible for another 9% of kitchen fires, while forgetting to turn off the stove, or unintentionally turning it on accounted for another 7%.

Heating Appliances

Heating fires are the second most common cause of residential fires. Out of all residential heating fires, 77% were confined fires, particularly fires confined to chimneys, flues or fuel burners. In nonconfined fires, 27% were caused by the heat source, such as a radiator or space heater being too close to flammable materials. To protect yourself and your home, some of the main cautions include:

  • If something can burn, make sure it’s at least 3 feet from any heat source, including a fireplace, wood stove, kerosene heater, radiator or space heater.
  • Never use your oven as a heater.
  • Have a professional inspect and clean your heating equipment and chimney every year.

Additional appliance-specific fire prevention safety tips include:

Space Heater

  • Ensure there’s an automatic shut-off, so if it’s knocked over or falls over it will turn off.
  • Be sure to turn it off before you go to sleep or exit the room.
  • Never plug a portable heater into a power strip or extension cord, but always directly into the wall outlet.
  • Always place the heater on the ground, on a flat, level surface.
  • Always use space heaters from a reputable testing lab.

Fireplace

  • To prevent sparks or embers from escaping, always use glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace.
  • Never burn paper in it.
  • Before you go to bed or exit your home, make sure to put the fire out.
  • When you clean out your hearth, put your ashes outside, at least 10 feet from your home in a closed metal container.

Wood Stove

  • Never burn paper in it.
  • Before you go to bed or exit your home, make sure to put the fire out.
  • Have a professional clean and inspect its chimney every year. 

Furnace

  • Have it inspected every year
  • There is no 3-foot rule with a furnace. If it can burn, keep it away.

Kerosene Heater

  • Always use this type of heater from a reputable testing lab.
  • Make sure there’s an auto shut-off. If it’s knocked over or tips, you want it to shut off right away.
  • Cool heater before refueling and refuel outside your home.

Electrical Appliances

Overheating and sparks are the two ways electrical fires start. Overheating can occur in three ways. Either a device, outlet or wiring become faulty. Such things as loose or undersized wires, or frayed cords can cause sparks because the wiring becomes too hot. When this happens electricity can jump between a break in the circuit, creating an arc (called arcing) and anything flammable nearby can be set on fire.

Another good example of overheating that can cause an electrical fire is putting a 100-watt lightbulb in a lamp only designed for 40-watt bulbs. The lightbulb overheats because the socket and wires can’t supply the amount of electricity the bulb is trying to draw.

Damaged cords or plugs of stationary appliances like air conditioners, lamps and refrigerators account for approximately 66% of all electrical fires. Since decay is slow, it’s important to check out every appliance cord yearly.

Sparks start electrical fires whenever there isn’t an unobstructed path from the source of electricity to an appliance or other device. This creates sparks that can ignite like a lighter, catching anything nearby on fire.

These additional fire safety tips will help you avoid electrical fires.

  • Never run extension cords under rugs.
  • Never plug a major appliance into an extension cord.
  • Never use any appliance with a damaged cord.
  • Don’t overload outlets. Instead, have an electrician install more outlets for you.
  • Have your electrical systems inspected.

Smoking Materials

Smoking (cigarettes, cigars, etc.) is a leading cause of residential fires, and they are completely preventable. Unfortunately, the number of fires caused by smoking has risen over the years.

For many years, smoking was the leading cause of residential fire-related deaths. It remains one of the primary causes.

What makes smoking-related fires so dangerous, and costly (an estimated $525,700,000 in 2022) is the fact that most are large, nonconfined fires, as opposed to the majority of residential fires, which are smaller, confined fires. These fires tend to start most often on a balcony or porch, according to 2016 statistics from the NFPA. Smoking fires starting in the bedroom, however, come in a close second.

Flammable Liquids

These fire safety hazards are all around your home—nail polish remover, nail polish, hand sanitizer, gasoline, rubbing alcohol, aerosols, turpentine, etc. What you need to know is that each of these has a “flash point” at which its vapors mixed with air will become ignitable. Explosions and fire are the two main risks you face from these hazards. So being aware of the flammable and combustible (higher flash point) liquids in your home, garage and storage areas is essential. Always be cognizant of the fumes, or vapors, emanating from these liquids while their containers are open, and never use them around an ignition source like an open flame.

Commercial Fire Hazards

The workplace harbors many of the same fire hazards as the home environment. Fire safety at work depends in large part on the type of enterprise.

Kitchen Areas

Eating and drinking establishments experience thousands of fires per year. According to the National Fire Protection Association, between 2010 and 2014, 61% were caused by cooking equipment. Of those, approximately 91% were limited, “confined” fires. These caused little damage since they were confined to the pan, etc. that they started in.

It was the remaining nonconfined fires that caused the real damage. In order, deep fryers, ranges and miscellaneous cooking and kitchen equipment are the three main causes of these nonconfined fires.

Starting in 2021 with its Life Safety Code®, NFPA 101®, fire sprinkler installation is required in restaurants made to handle 50 or more people, and that are newly constructed. Class K Fire extinguishers are also required.

Proper cleaning and maintenance of your cooking equipment is an important fire safety measure. So is having your sprinklers and extinguishers inspected and maintained. Just as you would employ a good service to inspect and clean your exhaust hood, you would also want to hire a company that can provide both fire sprinkler inspection and fire extinguisher service.

Electrical Rooms

A fire in a data center, which houses IT and telecommunications equipment, can be devastating to a business, not to mention the threat to human life. National Fire Protection Association guidelines 75 and 76 apply here. Together, they provide the minimum standards for protection against fire, for protecting lives, and for fire suppression in data centers. The first thing that should always be done is to conduct a fire risk assessment.

These assessments should form the basis of your plan and include what type or types of early fire detection systems and fire suppression systems you will have. For instance, you may want to have pre-engineered, automatic fire suppression systems installed inside the actual equipment to detect and stop fires before they can be detected from the outside.

Some of the most common causes of fires in data centers and server rooms are electrical failures, such as from faulty electrical wiring; power surges; and human error, including maintenance issues.

Fire safety prevention tips for your data centers as well as server rooms include keeping the rooms clean and clear of debris, and well maintained. Regularly testing and maintaining all fire detection and suppression systems is a must.

Manufacturing Areas

The NFPA found that from 2017-2021 an average of 36,784 fires per year occurred at manufacturing or industrial properties. Of these, 68% were outside or unclassified, 22% were structural fires and 10% were vehicle fires. Considering this large percentage, manufacturers and other industries would want to have vehicle fire extinguishers that can be easily accessed and deployed in the case of such vehicle fires.

The five most common causes of manufacturing and industrial fires (not in order) are

  • Flammable liquids and gases
  • Electrical hazards (bad wiring, overloaded circuits, extension cords)
  • Hot work (welding or any such work that can produce sparks)
  • Combustible dust (allowed to accumulate)
  • Equipment and machinery (friction, improper maintenance)

Office Spaces

There are a number of fire hazards that exist in all sorts of office spaces. The most common cause of fires in the workplace is cooking. While not the same as your home or a restaurant, most workplaces provide some form of cooking equipment, which can malfunction, or be left unattended.

And even today, with laws banning smoking in most buildings, smoking materials are still a leading cause of office fires.

Other causes include electrical distribution and lighting equipment, heating equipment, flammable liquids and gasses and arson. By far though, and taking all of the foregoing into account, human error accounts for approximately 80% of all fires occurring in the workplace. Think about that—food microwaved in improper containers, power strips overloaded, flammable materials allowed to accumulate near electrical or heating equipment.

Storage Areas

When storing combustible materials such as paper, cardboard, cloth, wood, paint or even some plastics, NFPA 1, Fire Code, section 10.18 will apply. Such materials must not be stored in electrical equipment rooms, boiler rooms or mechanical rooms. Your storage must be maintained in an orderly fashion. The combustible materials must not be stored in exits, and they must not interfere with the location of sprinklers.

OSHA standard 1926.151(d) provides the rules for indoor storage of combustible materials in larger facilities. These rules are

  • Storing, pilling and handling with the material’s fire characteristics in mind
  • Separating materials which are a fire hazard by a barrier with a minimum of 1 hour fire resistance
  • Arranging all materials to minimize fire spread and accommodate firefighting, including the largest firefighting vehicle that can be utilized in the space
  • Providing a minimum of 36 inches clearance between the materials and the sprinkler deflectors
  • Preventing ignition of combustible materials by providing clearance around heating equipment and lights
  • Providing 24 inches of clearance around the operation of fire doors that do not have a barricade, and
  • Storing materials at least 36 inches from the opening of a fire door.

Prevention is Key to Fire Safety

Fire hazards abound in both the residential and nonresidential settings. Homeowners and tenants must always be risk aware, just as business owners and operators must conduct risk assessments and keep them up to date. Knowing what hazards exist in your home or business allows time to make repairs or implement plans to lessen the risk posed by that hazard. Taking care of fire hazards before they can cause a fire will help to ensure everyone’s safety. In addition, the cost of making repairs or implementing fire safety procedures is certain to be minimal as compared to the financial and emotional cost of a fire, not to mention the possibility of lives being lost.

Home Fire Prevention Measures

Now that your hazards and their attendant risks have been identified, here are some ways you can protect yourself from home fires.

Proper Equipment

The proper equipment protects you and your family from fire. That begins with smoke alarms. Having working smoke alarms in your home reduces your risk of dying in a fire by 50%. About 60% of home fire deaths occur in residences with either no working smoke alarm or no alarm at all. So not only is it important to install these smoke alarms, but you also must maintain and test them.

According to the NFPA smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom and outside every sleeping area, on every level of the home, in the basement, and in the kitchen at least 10 feet from all cooking appliances to reduce false alarms. If you live in a two-story home where the bedrooms are upstairs, put a smoke alarm in the living space or near the stairwell.

Because smoke rises, it’s important to place your alarms high on the wall. For a flat ceiling, place it not more than a foot from the ceiling, and if it’s peaked, place the alarm within three feet of the peak, but not within 4 inches of the peak itself.

Because their drafts might interfere with the proper operation of the smoke alarm, never place the alarms near windows, doors or ducts.

The best type of smoke alarm to use is a dual sensor alarm which will respond to both flaming and smoldering fires. Also, you want your alarms to be interconnected so that when one goes off, they all go off.

Keep yourself protected by changing the battery at least once a year, or if the alarm beeps. Test the alarm once a month.

It’s a good idea to also have carbon monoxide detectors in your home. In fact, their use has been mandated in most states by statute, regulation or rule. Since Carbon monoxide poisoning is the second leading cause of non-medication related poisoning deaths, having them in your home is a good idea.

The NFPA suggests placement of carbon monoxide detectors outside each sleeping area in a central location, on every level of your home and as required by applicable standards, laws or codes. Interconnected alarms are recommended.

Electrical Equipment

The best way to prevent electrical fires is with regular maintenance of your electrical systems. This means getting proactive. Have a professional electrician check out your systems regularly. They can find things like faulty wiring, worn out insulation, overloaded circuits and bad outlets. They can also update an outdated electrical system.

You should keep a lookout for things like frayed wires, damaged appliance cords, warm outlets, or those that hold plugs loosely. Replace these immediately as they can spark and cause a fire.

Install ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) to help prevent electrical faults. These are usually installed in bathrooms and kitchens or anywhere in close proximity to water. Think about installing arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) in your bedrooms and living areas. They will automatically shut off the circuit in the presence of an electrical arc.

Additionally, spread your appliances over several circuits so you don’t overload your circuits. And unplug your appliance when you’re not using it.

Use surge protectors. 

Safe Storage

All homes contain some flammable materials. Note the flammable liquids discussed above. When storing things like gasoline, turpentine, paint, paint thinner, lighter fluid and engine oil, it’s best to store these outside the home, preferably in a detached garage or shed. Take care that your storage space isn’t subject to excessive heat. Also make sure it has good ventilation. And always keep these flammables in proper, approved containers.

Make sure to store all flammable materials away from ignition sources like the dryer, car, electrical systems or anything that could cause a spark. 

With products like aerosols (mousse, hairspray), nail polish, nail polish remover and cleaning products, store these in a cool, dark space to reduce heat exposure that could allow them to reach their flash point and ignite.

Kitchen Caution

Kitchen fire safety is of the utmost importance given that almost half of all residential fires are caused by cooking. The most important thing to remember when cooking with oil is to never leave it unattended. Next, heat oil slowly so that it won’t get too hot and ignite. Also, don’t add oil to a hot pan as it can cause splattering and result in grease fires when the oil comes in contact with the heat source.

If you think the oil is getting too hot (you notice smoke or oil smells), turn off the burner. Add food slowly to avoid splashing oil or grease onto hot surfaces that can start a fire.

Make sure you keep your cooking equipment and surfaces clean of all oil and grease buildup as these can cause and feed grease fires. 

Recreational Smoking

Smoking is a leading cause of fire-related deaths in the United States. One out of every four smoking-related fire deaths was someone other than the smoker.

If you smoke, following these fire prevention safety tips could save lives, yours and others.

  • Smoke outside
  • Use a sturdy ashtray, with a wide base filled with sand on a sturdy surface.
  • Always make sure your smoking materials are completely out.
  • Douse cigarettes or cigars with water before putting in the trash and never throw on the ground.
  • Never smoke around medical oxygen. It can easily ignite, even if turned off, and the resultant fire will burn faster and hotter.
  • Never smoke in bed.
  • Use e-cigarettes with caution. The lithium-ion batteries can explode, causing a fire.

Fire Prevention in the Workplace

Just as in the home, fire hazards exist throughout the workplace. Risk awareness is essential to fire safety in your office or business.

Risk Assessment

The U.S. Fire Administration estimates that in 2022, concerning nonresidential buildings, there were 129,000 fires, 140 deaths, 1,300 injuries and losses in the approximate amount of $3,741,200,000. Overall, the trends for the period from 2013 to 2022 are quite alarming, showing a 27% increase in fires, an 83% increase in deaths and a 23% increase in dollar losses.

Clearly, fire safety at work is paramount. And the first step is to conduct a fire risk assessment. This assessment consists of five major parts:

  • Identifying the hazards
  • Identifying those who are at risk, including disabled employees and guests. You’ll need this information when formulating your evacuation plan as required by OSHA.
  • Mitigating risks as you are able, and evaluating firefighting and suppression systems
  • Keeping a written record of what you have found that can’t be immediately alleviated, with planning around how these hazards can be diminished or contained, and training your employees and staff on emergency procedures
  • Reviewing this fire risk assessment regularly, and whenever there are changes, such as new construction

NFPA 551 gives guidance on evaluating fire risk assessments.

Proper Planning

OSHA standard 1910.39 applies to fire prevention plans which must be completed by all employers. Those with fewer than 10 employees don’t have to keep it in writing so long as they go over it with their employees. Employers with 10 or more employees must create a written plan, making it available to all employees.

The first requirement, contained in 1910.39(c)(1), is that the plan include a list of all major fire hazards, procedures for handling and storing hazardous materials, potential ignition sources and how to control them, and the type of fire protection equipment necessary to control each major hazard identified. Standard 1910.39 goes on to cover specific hazards, responsibilities, and how employees must be informed.

But this is only part of your planning. You should already have your evacuation plan in place as part of your fire safety plan, as well as your OSHA-required emergency action plan. Make sure to run practice drills regularly.

As part of your OSHA-required fire prevention plan, you will create procedures to control accumulation of flammable and combustible waste materials. At the same time, it is advisable to create a plan for how you will handle and store any flammable materials in your office or other space on a regular basis.

As a recap, your facilities’ overall fire safety plan should include

  • The emergency action plan (EAP) required by OSHA
  • An evacuation plan as required in the EAP
  • A fire prevention plan as required by OSHA

Fire Sprinkler Systems and Fire Extinguishers

Fire sprinklers and extinguishers can not only save lives, but also your property.

Sprinkler systems have been found to reduce civilian deaths by 90%. Also, sprinklers were shown to keep the fire from spreading past the room or object where it started in 94% of structure fires. Clearly, fire sprinkler installation is a must for any business.

Fire sprinklers and suppression systems should be tailored to the needs of your business. For instance, marine fire suppression will have different requirements than the type of fire suppression needed in a data center.

Pursuant to NFPA 25, Standard for the Inspection, Testing, and maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems, the owner or their representative is required to facilitate periodic fire sprinkler inspection. The frequencies of the various inspections are described in the standard and include, but are not limited to, monthly, quarterly, annually and every 5 years. Records of these inspections must be kept.

There are different types of fire extinguishers designed to fight different kinds of fires. It is important to obtain the right fire extinguisher for your needs. Always check the rating marked on the extinguisher (A-D and K) and know what type of fire they are made for. For instance, a Class A fire burns in ordinary combustible materials, such as paper, cloth, rubber, wood, and a lot of plastics. So, an extinguisher marked with an A is rated for this type of fire.

Safety Training

Now that you’ve made all your plans and assessments, it’s time to get your employees involved in fire prevention. Be sure to go over your fire risk assessment, fire prevention plan, fire safety plan, including your evacuation plan as well as your emergency action plan with your employees.

Make sure everyone understands their role in mitigating hazards, assisting in evacuations and in the use of all fire safety equipment. If you are going to have your employees use fire suppression equipment, such as fire extinguishers, ensure that they are trained in how and when to use them. Refresh that training regularly.

Run evacuation drills regularly to be sure that everyone knows the evacuation routes and can move smoothly through them. Confirm that your employees know where to meet up and who to report to after evacuating.

Conclusion

Clearly, awareness is key. If you are aware of the hazards around you, whether at home or at the workplace, you can formulate a plan to eliminate or at least mitigate the risk to you and others. Keep your family and employees informed about the hazards they face at home and in the workplace and how to avoid or mitigate them.

The best way to fight fires is to prevent them from ever starting.

At the same time, preparing for the possibility of a fire saves lives. Having and practicing an escape plan at home is critical. The workplace is no different. It’s crucial to create and run drills on your evacuation plan.

Continuing education is vital to keeping your fire safety plans up to date and protecting you as they should. That’s why it’s important for homeowners, tenants and business owners alike to stay abreast of new fire safety techniques, devices, information and standards. Knowledge like this could not only save your life, but the lives of your family or employees.