商务风险管理指南：火灾防护.pdf

10 Protecting Against Fire Alec produces great food. But he isn’t a great manager. He likes to concentrate on cooking, and leaves everything else to his staff. Since most staff last only a few months, it isn’t surprising that there are occasional disasters. So now the cafeteria is closed, amid much grumbling from staff. Smoke damage means every surface needs cleaning and repainting. And the business needs a new kitchen. ‘It was the grease trap,’ said Alec. ‘All members of staff know they have to empty it, every Friday. But sometimes these things get overlooked.’ Alec and his staff put out the fire with two extinguishers, no one was hurt, and the fire didn’t spread. But there needs to be an enquiry, and maybe a disciplinary hearing. ‘Who does Alec report to?’ you ask your assistant. ‘Er, technically you,’ he says. You sigh . Fire as a Commercial Risk Fire is one of the most common commercial risks. Most companies believe that fire could never happen to them, and so they focus on more exotic types of risk such as terrorism or environmental issues. Yet 20 per cent of employers suffer a fire; and 70 per cent of businesses involved in a major fire either do not re-open or fail within three years of the fire. There are 20,000 commercial fires each year in the UK, 65 per cent of which are accidental. In other words there are a lot of fires (480 non-domestic fires each week), and one in three of these are started by arsonists. Moreover, fires occur not just in risky places like chemical plants, but ordinary ones like shops as well. So, fire is a major workplace problem. St John Ambulance reported that over a four-year period in the UK 1,425 people were injured in workplace fires and 32 died. The Association of British Insurers reports that socially deprived areas and schools are especially vulnerable: arson rates are 30 times higher in poorer areas, while 20 schools a week suffer an arson attack, disrupting the education of