It is essential to learn space heater safety best practices for your home or business whenever you need extra heat this season.
Now that the temperature is dropping, people everywhere are breaking out their space heaters to keep warm in their homes or offices. Due to their portability and convenience, space heaters are popular appliances to heat homes and businesses during the winter season, but they can also be extremely dangerous. It is essential to learn space heater safety best practices for your home or business to stay safe whenever you need extra heat this season. Keep reading to learn more.
Are Space Heaters a Hazard?
Fire departments everywhere send out a similar message each year as the cold weather arrives and begins to freeze: Use extreme caution with home heating equipment. These fire tips include:
- Never use your oven to heat your home
- Keeping flammables away from heat sources.
- Get your chimney inspected each year.
And the hazard at the top of the list is portable heaters. Using a space heater should be combined with essential fire prevention safety practices.
Preventing Space Heater Fires at Home
During winter, homeowners light their fireplaces, turn up the furnace, and break out the space heaters, creating the perfect environment for accidents to happen. Space heaters can be especially hazardous – space heaters are responsible for thousands of fires and hundreds of deaths every year. You can prevent space heater fires and their tragic consequences by following these simple space heater safety tips whenever you cozy up at home this winter:
- Never leave space heaters unattended. Turn off and unplug them when not in use.
- Place heaters at least 3 feet away from any flammable items, such as furniture, blankets, and wastebaskets.
- Do not place space heaters under a desk or in other enclosed spaces.
- Only plug space heaters into a wall outlet, never into a surge protector.
- Use space heaters that include an automatic shutoff.
Space Heater Safety at Work
Space heaters are often used in offices, warehouses, and other working environments, so creating a safe workplace policy on space heaters is critical to protect everyone. If you are a business owner, you want your employees to be comfortable and safe. Here are some essential space heater safety tips for the workplace:
- Require employees to get approval before using a space heater in their workspace.
- Make sure that space heaters and cords are placed away from high-traffic areas.
- Make sure employees turn off space heaters at the end of the day.
- Establish minimum standards for permitted space heater models, such as safety features and maximum size.
Commercial and Residential Fire Prevention from Judd Fire Protection
If you want to ensure your home and business are safe throughout the year, trust Judd Fire Protection, LLC. We have over two decades of experience designing, installing, inspecting, and repairing residential and commercial fire protection systems. We serve clients throughout Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. If you are interested in finding out more about our services and protecting your home and business, give us a call at 410-871-3480 or contact us online. For more fire safety tips, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.