Professional Documents
Culture Documents
A Guide To Fire Prevention in Laboratories
A Guide To Fire Prevention in Laboratories
LABORATORIES
To highlight the potential fire hazards and give guidance on how fire can be prevented,
we’ve created this fire prevention guide specifically for science labs.
there. Flash fires, explosions, rapid spread of fire, and high toxicity of flammable
substances are all possible consequences of an emergency situation in a lab, and fire
something as simple as putting the wrong substance in the wrong container can lead to a
Make sure you’re storing chemicals properly by carrying out the following:
▪ Properly labelling chemicals to avoid confusion during experiments
▪ Ensuring that gas cylinders are secure. There should also only be one cylinder and
Staff training also plays an important role in fire prevention, helping minimise the risk of
fire and stopping it from spreading if one does occur. Training staff to recognise how
fires start and spread is an effective way to ensure working practices in the lab are best
In the event of a small fire, swift and effective action can often make the difference
between a small incident and a catastrophic emergency. Staff training is key to ensuring
that every member of the lab is able to take effective action as quickly as possible in the
event of a fire.
Ensure your staff are up to speed on fire prevention and emergency procedures with the
following:
▪ Having a written plan that details what to do in the event of an emergency, and
▪ Holding formal training sessions so staff can take the appropriate action during
emergency procedures, know-how fires start and spread, how to use emergency
Good housekeeping is also vital for fire prevention in a lab, with a tidy workplace making
it easier to both prevent fires from happening, and prevent them from spreading.
▪ Putting chemicals back into storage as soon as you are done using them
If lab equipment isn’t properly used and maintained, then it can become a serious fire
hazard.
If staff aren’t wearing the correct protective equipment when dealing with hazardous
Avoid leaving things to chance by following these protective equipment best practices:
▪ Ensuring the chemical fume hoods have current inspection stickers and the sash is