Fire Blanket Regulations For Commercial Sectors

Fire Blanket Regulations – Your Responsibilities

Did you know that under the Australian Standard of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 WA, commercial businesses are required to have their fire blankets fully inspected every 6 months?

A fire blanket has a significant role to play especially in commercial premises where food is being cooked, flammable substances are being used or create, or the risk of small fires is prevalent. When called upon, you need to expect a fire blanket to immediately extinguish a small fire if not contain it to allow employees to exit the premises. However, without being regularly inspected and properly maintained, a fire blanket can fail to perform as needed when a fire does occur and present a significant safety threat in the workplace.

For that reason, the Australian Government require that fire blankets undergo very thorough inspections. Each 6-month fire blanket inspection is required to include the following checks:

Fire Blanket Accessibility
The blanket should be clearly visible, in its assigned location, as outlined in safety manuals and materials to staff, readily accessible for use and installed in accordance with the current safety standards

Fire Blanket Signage
Signage highlighting the availability and direction for use for the fire blanket should be clearly visible and contain correct, up-to-date directional information.

Fire Blanket Container
Commercial property owners must ensure to check that the blanket container is securely supported, clean, free from any damage, has clear instructions for use and a record label attached.

Fire Blanket
The actual fire blanket itself should be examined for any signs of damage or contamination and be correctly folded according to the manufacturers’ instructions.