Arson – Disaster Prevention Series
Protecting your Business from Arson
You often see stories about the devastating destruction to businesses because of arson, but with some simple precautions you can mitigate your company’s chances of having a serious fire because of it.
The damage arson causes is just like any other fire that could happen to your company. The difference being, arson is a deliberate malicious crime. It is a violent act that can kill people, destroy property, and in most cases is considered a serious felony. While many people may think of arson as children playing with matches or business owners setting their own establishment in flames to collect insurance money, it is actually committed for a wide variety of reasons. These include vandalism or a personal dispute between coworkers, neighbors, spouses, or acquaintances.
It’s important to understand the steps you can take to protect your business. Most of them make common sense and are simple to implement.
Precautions you can take:
- Do not leave packaging or trash anywhere outside the building. Make sure it is disposed of properly.
- Metal bins (dumpsters) with closed lids and padlocks are the ideal storage place for trash.
- Arrange disposal of trash and dumpsters on a frequent and regular basis.
- Install fences around your facility that are high and strong with high quality locks and padlocks.
- Stored materials should not be piled up outside where they could easily be set on fire.
- Ensure that all lights outside are on and in working order.
- Install a high quality security system against burglaries and fires and make sure it is checked every day.
- Strengthen your doors and windows.
- Gaps under doorways should be as small as possible. Preferably nothing more than a piece of paper should be able to fit through the gap.
- Report any suspicious activity to the police immediately.
- Join and participate in all local business watches.
- Perform a regular end of the day checklist.
- Secure the building and make sure locks are always checked during closing procedures.
- Verify that all flammable liquids are safely stored.
- Have fire extinguishers readily available in all areas of the building.
- Without blocking fire exits, limit the number of entrances in use.
- Limit access to storage areas and warehousing to authorized staff only.
- Consider leaving lights on at night.
- Remind all employees of the threat of arson and advise them to always report any suspicious activity.
Disaster Prevention Series from Stay in Business
Disaster planning will help your organization get back up and running sooner when disruptive events occur. Disaster prevention includes the steps you can take to help prevent a disaster from happening in the first place. This is the first in a series of articles to help your business put into place preventative actions to help mitigate a disaster from happening or limit the damage done.
Categories: Business Continuity, Uncategorized
