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Seasonal Safety 2020-11-12 3 min read
Fire Safety Plan
Alberta employers are required to have a fire safety plan — but most plans sit in a binder and never get tested. Here is what a compliant, practical fire safety plan looks like and how to make sure your workers actually know what to do.
Employers in Alberta are legally required under the OHS Code to develop and implement a workplace-specific fire safety plan that includes evacuation procedures, fire prevention measures, and training for workers. You start to panic. Wishing you would have come up with an escape route or plan to get out. This is where the Fire Safety Plan comes in handy. Fires affect thousand of Canadians every year whether they are workplace fires, house fires and/or forest fires.
In 2014 there was 2,118 residential fires in Alberta resulting in 18 deaths and 104 fire related injuries. In Canada there was 12,071 residential fires resulting in 96 deaths and 928 fire related injuries.
Always remember before you leave your house, ensure to turn off all potential appliances that could become the source of ignition such as your stove, oven, heaters, and fire place.
As you read through this blog you will learn some planning escape tips and how to test the efficiency of your plan. Also some tips to help eliminate potential house fires.
Planning Escape Tips:
- Have everyone come together within your household and create a plan.
- Walk throughout your house and inspect all possible exits and escape routes. Use the attached template of a Fire Safety Plan to develop and draw out your escape routes for the children who are in the house to understand.
- Ensure to install smoke alarms throughout your house and replace batteries annually.
- Have a muster/meeting point outside of the house where everyone is to meet after they have escaped, ensure it is far enough away from the house. Make sure to mark the muster/meeting point on the map for your family to refer back to it.
- Have everyone in the house memorize the emergency numbers.
- When having guests stay over inform them about the fire safety plan.
- Once you are out of the house, do not re enter the burning building. If there is someone missing, inform the fire department.
Testing your Plan:
- Practice your fire safety plan at least once a year.
- Allow the children of the house to master the fire escape.
- If your house has two floors ensure that it is possible to escape through the top level, by placing rope ladders near escape windows.
- Close doors behind you as you leave the house.
The top 10 tips to prevent house fires
1. Test your smoke alarms regularly, replace batteries
2. Inspect all of your heating sources
3. Keep your stove and oven clean
4. Never leave your kitchen while cooking
5. Always check your dryer lint trap for a build up of lint
- Maintain all cords, ensure they are not frayed, ensure outlet/power bars are not overloaded
7. Properly store all flammable products, do not store propane in garage
8. Never leave candles unattended
9. Never leave the fireplace unattended
- Keep fire extinguishers around the house, especially near woodstoves/kitchens and other sources of ignition
Under Alberta OHS law, all employers must have a documented fire safety plan tailored to their workplace, and it is not optional or only upon request. Feel free to give us a call at (780) 473-4772 or email us at info@safetyahead.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
While Alberta OHS legislation requires employers to ensure safe evacuation and emergency preparedness, there is no explicit requirement for a formal 'fire safety plan' with specified contents under the OHS Code. Employers must comply with general emergency preparedness and evacuation requirements, which may include these elements as best practices.
The Alberta OHS Code requires employers to ensure workers are trained and emergency procedures are in place, but does not specify a minimum frequency for practicing fire safety plans or drills. Employers should determine drill frequency based on workplace risk factors and best practices.
Alberta OHS legislation requires employers to ensure emergency preparedness and safe evacuation procedures appropriate to the workplace, but does not mandate a formal fire safety plan for all workplaces.
Employers should consider hiring a safety consultant for help with fire safety plan development, COR audit support, and OHS compliance consulting to ensure their Alberta workplace meets legal requirements and best practices.
Written by
Safety Ahead Team
Alberta-based safety consultants with decades of field experience — COR auditors, OHS advisors, and WCB specialists working with employers across the province.
About Safety AheadSeasonal Safety
Is your team prepared for Alberta's seasonal hazards?
We help Alberta employers build seasonal safety plans and emergency response procedures that actually get followed in the field — not just filed in a binder.
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