Most Common Causes of Factory Fires

While every home and workplace will always contain a fire risk, there are certain environments that are more susceptible to fires, especially those that use flammable materials to work with, for example.

Factories are used for the assembly and creation of innumerable things, and with the wide variety of machinery and tools used for said assembly, there can be more scope for a fire to break out.

Heavy Machinery

No matter how sophisticated the machinery is in a factory, it can be susceptible to faults. Sometimes these faults are minor and easily fixed, but the results can also be more severe. Things like oil spillages or toxic fluid spillages, coupled with the sparks that are often a byproduct of these machines’ operations can quickly turn into fires if not cleaned up immediately.

Kitchens/Break Rooms

Although this is a risk that any workplace may have, if staff are not responsible with appliances like toasters, microwaves or ovens, then the risk of fire is hugely increased. Leaving appliances on overnight or forgetting about food that is placed in them can cause a serious fire.

Stock

This factor is certainly more prominent in areas where flammable stock may be stored. If you consider how many clothing factories, paper factories or furniture factories are home to thousands of flammable products and cardboard boxes, one small spark can be absolutely devastating in every way. Due to the large volume of materials stored in large areas with no divided sections, fires can spread incredibly quickly throughout these environments.

Poor Fire Training

If employees are not fully trained in the prevention of fire and how to deal with a fire should one break out, then problems can quickly arise. This can come from staff not being aware of what causes fires, or improper fire safety training in the use of their equipment and safety precautions.

Electrical Faults

Factories are constantly in motion, with assembly lines and machinery constantly in use, and as such, a huge amount of electricity is required to run them. With the strain that is put on the electrical systems, there is always a chance that they may overload, for example, which could start an electrical fire that quickly spreads across the factory.

Here at City Fire, we have worked tirelessly over the years to establish ourselves as one of the country’s leading independent fire protection companies. Supplying, installing and maintaining the highest quality fire safety equipment for businesses up and down the country, our expert engineers are always on hand to help. Get in touch with us to find out more.