What are Fire Safety Issues in a Healthcare Environment?

Fire safety is an important effort for all types of companies, but in the healthcare industry it comes with some unique challenges and requirements. Anyone who is working on improving workplace safety at a hospital, doctor’s office, rehabilitation center, or other healthcare facility needs to understand what types of unique fire safety issues exist.

The first thing to keep in mind is that there are a variety of flammable chemicals, gasses, and other materials that are present throughout many facilities. Many hospitals, for example, have oxygen running to every room. A fire in these locations can spread quickly, cause explosions, or otherwise escalate quickly.

Another factor to look at is the fact that there are often medical procedures that take place that cannot be stopped before completed. If a surgeon is operating on someone, for example, they cannot simply evacuate the area immediately or the person on the table would likely die. This means part of a fire safety program needs to be how to keep specific areas protected from fires and how to determine what to do if there is an emergency near an operating room.

Healthcare facilities also need to take into account the fact that many people in the facility are either unable to move at all on their own, or cannot move very fast. If there is a fire, the team needs to have a plan in place on how to get the most vulnerable patients out to safety as quickly as possible. This should also include steps for checking to make sure everyone has gotten out successfully.

Of course, there are many other fire safety issues in a healthcare environment, so trying to come up with all possible risks will help to keep everyone safe.