Fire can have disastrous consequences and businesses can spend years trying to recover – yet many business owners and managers fail to conduct an annual hazard audit.
Alongside fire as a major risk factor, lax security also affects thousands of businesses every year, and could have easily been prevented.
“Fire and burglary affect thousands of Australian businesses every year, so there is no room for complacency,” Fire protection specialist Christian Dorau from ADT Security and Wormald said.
Break-ins can result in significant property loss and emotional trauma for staff, and as ADT Security research found, one third of Australian small businesses will be affected by crime, and one in five lose more than 10 per cent of their annual profit to theft.
“With this in mind, it is vital that well maintained measures are in place to help reduce the risk of fire or theft and its physical, emotional and financial impact,” Mr Dorau added.
To conduct a thorough fire safety and security audit, Wormald and ADT Security recommend taking a systematic approach, and access to the Wormald small business fire safety checklist is available here. The ADT Security small business security checklist is available here.
It’s also very important to conduct the property audits during both day and night, and is a factor often overlooked.
“Business owners are also encouraged to consult a specialist to assist with an audit and help ensure the business is compliant with standards and legislation,” Mr Dorau added.
