Christmas Safety Advice for Businesses

With the festive period upon us we have put together some handy tips and reminders about how to keep your business safe from fire.

 Decorating your business

•  Make sure Christmas lights are in good repair and new or PAT tested.
• Only buy from reputable outlets and look for lights that meet British Safety Standard and have the CE mark/ UKCA (UK Conformity Assessed) mark.
• Swap older lights for LED ones that don’t get as hot.
• Don’t put Christmas lights on the means of escape
• Don’t use block adaptors or overload electrical circuits
• Make sure all mains Christmas lights are switched off when you are not in the building. Watch this video to see how quickly a fire started by faulty lights on a Christmas tree can take hold.
• Make sure decorations and Christmas trees do not block escape routes or fire exits
• Decorations should not cover up or obscure any fire safety signage or fire extinguishers.
• Christmas decorations may increase the amount of ‘fire loading’ in your building, meaning that if a fire started it might take hold or spread more quickly.
•  

Review your fire safety risk assessment

Make sure you or another competent person has reviewed your fire safety risk assessment to take account of any changes. The law changed in October 2023 and it is now a legal requirement that all workplaces have a fire risk assessment, regardless of how many people they employ.

Staff training

All staff need to be made aware of the procedures and action to take in the event of a fire and this includes extra staff taken on to cover the busy period and any bank or agency staff who are covering over Christmas and New Year.

Increased numbers of people

Whether you run a shop or are in the hospitality trade you will be hoping to have plenty of people through your doors over the festive season. Make sure you know what your maximum occupancy figures are. If you are squeezing in a few more diners, using extra space temporarily or have lots of extra staff employed make sure you review your risk assessment and know you can still get everyone out safely.

Extra stock

You may have extra stock to cover the festive period and this needs to be well managed to avoid causing fire safety issues.

• Store stock safely and make sure it doesn’t restrict or block escape routes
• Don’t store stock where it blocks a fire escape even if this is only for a short time.
• Make sure your fire risk assessment has considered any changes or additional risks
• Make sure stock is not stored close to any ignition sources or where it could cause overheating or block vents.

Manage waste packaging in a way that reduces fire loading. Waste should be removed regularly and if it needs to be stored outside consider the risk of arson and keep cardboard and packaging away from the buildings and in suitable waste containers.

Christmas shut down

If your business is shutting and going to be empty for longer than usual over Christmas and New Year make sure you take some simple steps to reduce the chance of a fire or unwanted fire signals.

• Have a closedown routine ensuring electrical items, especially any portable heaters and Christmas lights are switched off and unplugged.
• Make sure all fire doors are closed
• Keep an eye on the weather forecast and any risk of freezing or burst pipes if the heating is off.

Help to avoid false alarms and unnecessary call outs for the fire service by making sure your fire alarm systems and detectors are appropriate and well maintained. More information can be found in the Reducing False Alarms – North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service section of our website.