When we visit the hospital, it never comes to our mind whether fire safety measures are being adhered to or not because being a patient or patient’s guardian we are already in an emergency state. It is therefore pertinent to have a foolproof and impeccable fire system in all kinds of installations and specializes in health care industries.

As far as fire and safety in hospital industries are concerned, where hundreds of patients and their relatives are at stake all the time and when very frequently lots of incidents and accidents are occurring, immediate attention is necessary to avoid recurrences of such devastating situations.
There are many unorganised sectors where there is no structured system, no trained staff, and no sincere desire to develop the system because of this these sectors need more attention to the implementation of the system following local law and above all to keep the system in safe condition in all aspects.

Despite stringent fire safety regulations in place, the number of incidents and accidents is increasing at a very rapid rate thus causing huge loss of property, lives etc. It is therefore needed when we visit the hospital, it never comes to our mind whether fire safety measures are being adhered to or not because being a patient or patient’s guardian we are already in an emergency state. It is therefore pertinent to have a foolproof and impeccable fire system in all kinds of installations and specializes in health care industries.

As far as fire and safety in hospital industries are concerned, where hundreds of patients and their relatives are at stake all the time and when very frequently lots of incidents and accidents are occurring, immediate attention is necessary to avoid recurrences of such devastating situations.
There are many unorganised sectors where there is no structured system, no trained staff, and no sincere desire to develop the system because of this these sectors need more attention to the implementation of the system following local law and above all to keep the system in safe condition in all aspects.

Despite stringent fire safety regulations in place, the number of incidents and accidents is increasing at a very rapid rate thus causing huge loss of property, lives etc. It is therefore needed where evacuation became very difficult and at times impossible during a break out of fire especially in hospital industries, since moving the immobile patients was the immediate necessity but could not take place due to lack of adequate infrastructure.

It is therefore a real need of the hour to ensure that there is full proof fire prevention system and safety measures are in place besides having properly designed infrastructure in all hospitals and health care centres. A few case points are that the hospitals and healthcare centres stack a lot of combustible materials e.g., chemicals, oxygen cylinders, and surgical equipment. In almost all hospitals, there are kitchens and canteens which are a big source of fires.

Many a time it has been evidenced after an investigation that the prime causes for incidents and accidents were happened because of electrical short circuits, storing combustible materials in an improper place, lack of emergency preparedness, failure of fire system at the time of real requirements, undue panic, flouting of laws and course sufficiently trained staff etc.

To mitigate the risk of fire, it is mandatory to adopt precautionary and preventive measures such as designing fool-proof fire safety measures, identification of fixed evacuation points, regular checking of electrical appliances, electrical circuits, heat-dissipating equipment etc.,

Having a proper architectural layout containing adequate open places, a fire safety plan with emphasises drill measures and regular handhold training for all staff including doctors will help in minimising the occurrences.

To ensure proper compliance with laws, and applicable standards it is very essential to carry out Safety audits at regular intervals not only for healthcare units but also for any kind of industry. It is to ensure that their procedures are designed to keep their employees safe, having improved operational efficiency thus reducing the loss incurred due to incidents and accidents.

During a fire risk assessment, it is very essential to find the adequacy of firefighting equipment and warning systems. It is also important to provide suitable information to employees engaged in the workplace and provide appropriate staff training.

Last but not the least, as the saying goes “Prevention is better than cure” which is very pertinent as far as fire and safety measures are concerned. It is therefore immensely beneficial for any organisation to conduct regular safety audits to determine the effectiveness of the safety system. There should be a clarion call from all sectors of industries to pay utmost attention to safeguarding the precious lives and valuable properties which will help in building the nation too.