Dealing with the aftermath of fires

Once the investigation of a serious fire is complete the employer or responsible person will need to ensure that there are adequate arrangements to deal with the outcomes of the fire. Very often a fire that has taken just one hour from ignition to extinction will take months and sometimes years to recover from. When dealing with the 

The site of the fire will present a number of significant and unusual hazards. The normal substances in the workplace may have undergone a chemical reaction and be more hazardous than before the fire. In addition to the normal products of combustion, including soot, contaminated water used for fire fighting may contain carcinogenic material. Other hazards may be presented by the building materials which will themselves have been affected by the fire. The elements of the building may have been seriously weakened or asbestos may have been disturbed. 

In any event, clearing the site of a fire is a hazardous task. It may be necessary to employ specialist contractors to enable the site to be cleared legally and without unnecessary risk to employees. 

Employees will be disconcerted by a serious fire in the workpiace and may be concerned for their own future safety and empioyment prospects. 

Management wiii need to communicate effectively with empioyees to provide additional reassurance. In addition, management wiii need to ensure adequate weifare arrangements are made for staff. It may be the case that some employees may be susceptible to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and will therefore benefit from professionai counseiiing to prevent the chronic symptoms deveioping. 

---