Fire chiefs in South Yorkshire are urging businesses to train their staff to help avoid fires over Christmas according to The Star.
With firms expected to take on hundreds of temporary staff to work over the festive season, fire chiefs are urging bosses to ensure fire safety training forms part of their inductions before they start working.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said December is considered a month when blazes are more likely to break out because of new members of staff, firms carrying extra stock and some businesses having a winter shutdown period.
The warning comes during UK Business Safety Week, which runs all this week to encourage businesses to engage with local fires services to help manage their fire risk, get advice on completing fire risk assessments and ensure business continuity.
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has tackled more than 500 fires in non-domestic properties over the last three years.
Technical fire safety manager, Amy Jenkinson, said: “A fire in a business can put staff and customers’ lives at risk, damage stock and premises and make it impossible for a company to carry out its day-to-day work, impacting not only on the business itself, but on its employees, suppliers and customers.
“We know that many businesses will be starting to take on temporary employees now. All we ask is that they deliver training in some basic fire safety procedures, like keeping fire escapes clear and making sure alarm systems are working properly. This can help businesses avoid serious incident and help ensure they comply with the law.”
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