There has been a large increase in fire and rescue teams being called out since 2020 a report has revealed.
Rhino Safety – a Health Safety consultancy – revealed that Greater Manchester received the highest numbers of call outs to public buildings across England, with a whopping 285 fires per 250,000 people.
The report found that prisons are the leading cause of commercial fires, with 18.4% being attributed to prisons, 11.2% attributed to hospitals and 10.8% attributed to retail buildings.
The data also revealed that over four in 10 fires (43.9%) in Greater Manchester public buildings were started deliberately, making it the biggest cause of fires on business premises over the last five years.
Other accidental causes follow, as well as faulty appliances and leads, faulty fuel supplies, and misuse of equipment and appliances.
Batteries and generators rounded out the top five causes, accounting for 6.4% of fires in public places.
Health and safety expert Simon Walter said: “[…] safety should still be the number one priority for businesses in the Greater Manchester area, which have experienced the highest number of public building fires since the pandemic.
“With the majority of these fires being started deliberately, the first thing business-owners should do is ensure all smoke alarms and sprinkler systems are up to date and working.”
He added: “As well as ensuring access to the building after hours is secured and removing any/all flammable materials, which can help fires spread instantly.
“Over one in five (20.7%) of commercial fires are started via faulty appliances, leads or fuel supplies, so business owners must hire a licensed electrician to carry out any work on the premises, as well as carrying out checks on lighting, electricals or other elements that could cause a fire (this is usually covered as part of your annual Fire Risk Assessment).
“User error accounts for over one in six commercial fires (17.2%), including the misuse of equipment or appliances, careless handling of fire or hot substances, placing articles too close to a heat source or playing with fire.
“These are incidents that can easily be avoided with more fire safety education and training for all staff, as well as ensuring your Fire Risk Assessment is up to date, and that all fire safety equipment is present and in working order.”
Further counties on the list included Staffordshire with 278, Buckinghamshire with 271, Nottinghamshire with 267, Shropshire with 266, Lancashire with 26 Norfolk with 259, Northumberland with 245 and Humberside with 244.
Dorset and Wiltshire placed last on the list with 238 per 250,000 people.
Rhino Safety is a Cheshire-based health and safety consultancy with offices across the UK and the United Arab Emirates
Main image: Firefighters and rescue teams have seen an increase in public fires across the UK. (C) Matt C/Unsplash
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