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For the purposes of this article, factories and warehouses are two different types of structures with different concerns. Factories are buildings used for the manufacturing of products. They range in size and use. A factory can be a large, 10-story, heavy timber building that is more than 100 years old with a number of different tenants. It can also be a modern one-story noncombustible building that encompasses an entire city block and is used for the manufacturing of one product. Warehouses are buildings used for the housing and storage of products. They also vary in size, shape, and construction. A warehouse can be a one-story limited-combustible building or a five-story heavy timber building of varying contents—both in a congested residential neighborhood.

Factories and warehouses are riskier places than most to work in due to the heavy machinery and dangerous substances used in production and storage. Unfortunately the risk of fire is also high in factories and warehouses as many combustible materials and liquids are used as well and there is also the risk of rouge sparks from machinery. As these buildings tend to be very open and large, fires can spread quickly and cause devastating damage. It may seem like a minefield to secure adequate fire prevention in a factory but there are a number of precautions you can take to reduce the risk of a fire by implementing some of the solutions below...

1.Store materials safely

Storing materials safely is a key way to reduce the risk of fire. Materials and equipment which are likely to catch fire should be stored in designated areas rather than just left to pile up across the building.

Simply by not storing materials in plant rooms, switch rooms or boiler rooms for example you can considerably reduce the risk of fire as the heat in these rooms can cause materials to ignite. It may seem obvious but stairs, corridors and other escape routes should not be used to store items in as they can block exits and cause people to trip. In all premises there are often areas where items can be stored without being noticed such as basements, unused rooms, service shafts and unused corridors. You should regularly check that rubbish isn't accumulating in these areas as although the rubbish won't be blocking an escape route, it could actually cause a fire. Keeping on top of rubbish accumulating in your building will greatly reduce the risk of fire。

2. Handle and store dangerous substances

Dangerous substances need to be used and stored correctly to increase factory fire safety. You should make sure members of staff avoid using flammable materials and substances where possible, or if it is necessary for staff to use them, they should use the smallest amount possible to get the job done. Flammable substances should be stored in a locked fire-resistant container to reduce the risk of them being ignited, either by accident or in an arson incident. All members of staff using the premises should be aware of the risk of these substances and they should be taught how to use the substances properly.

Commissioning a fire safety risk management survey aswell as those required by the above legislation will help to reduce any consequential fire losses should a fire occur. A simple thing like dividing your stock into two fire separated warehouses would mean if a fire should happen you will have 50% of your stock to carry on trading . Or producing duplicate copies of your records and storing them in separate building away from your offices. Many times consequential fire losses are not considered and can be the cause of companies being forced in to bankruptcy