629 Planning for Workplace Emergencies

Fire Prevention and Protection Plans

Introduction

The most important reason to have a Fire Prevention Plan (FPP) is to prevent loss of life. Developing a FPP is also important to eliminate the causes of fire and prevent loss of property by fire. The FPP should be developed to comply with the OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.39, Fire Prevention Plans.

An effective FPP does all of the following:

• It provides employees with information and guidelines that will assist them in recognizing, reporting, and controlling fire hazards.
• It identifies materials that are potential fire hazards and their proper handling and storage procedures.
• It distinguishes potential ignition sources and the proper control procedures of those materials.
• The plan describes fire protection equipment and/or systems used to control fire hazards.
• It identifies persons responsible for maintaining the equipment and systems installed to prevent or control ignition of fires.
• The FPP identifies persons responsible for the control and accumulation of flammable or combustible material.
• It describes good housekeeping procedures necessary to insure the control of accumulated flammable and combustible waste material and residues to avoid a fire emergency.
• The plan provides training to employees with regard to fire hazards to which they may be exposed.

For additional free information on developing fire prevention plans, visit the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) free access webpage.

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