Recent Posts
Safety Tips For The Workplace
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
1. Remove clutter like papers, trash, unused equipment, etc. from the office the reduce the chances of falling employees.
2. DO NOT use rolling office chairs as step-ups or ladders.
3. Carpet may be a safer choice as it doesn't get slippery when wet like tile or hardwood floors.
4. Employees should understand how to operate all equipment that they are expected to use by completing a training beforehand.
5. Try to not repeatedly look up and down from a computer screen to paper as it could strain employee's necks.
6. OSHA recommends workers take a 10-minute break for each hour spent looking at a computer screen.
7. Position your computer screen so that you can work comfortably. More work does not get done when an employee is uncomfortable.
8. Make sure you have the right prescription glasses for computer time and reading. This can be detrimental to your eyesight if you don't.
9. Make sure cords and outlets are in good condition. Older cords are much more likely to break and create fire hazards.
10. DO NOT block fire escapes, exits, or sprinkler systems. You never know when an emergency will happen and if these things aren't accessible that is not good.
11. Establish employee reporting systems so that you can get feedback/concerns with things around the office. Obvious issues may be pointed out that management never noticed before.
Commercial Cleaning Checklist
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
Every business should be taking measures to keep their building clean even if they do not employ a professional cleaning service. It can become hard to keep track of exactly what you should be cleaning regularly. Here is a checklist to make it a little easier to ensure your workplace stays neat and tidy.
- Monthly Cleaning List:
- Dust all surfaces in the office
- Clean the fabric chairs
- Vacuum all fabric chairs, vents
- Deep clean all surface areas
- Weekly Cleaning Lists
- Sponge all glass windows, both on the outside and inside
- Clean the refrigerator
- Disinfect all trash bins
- Buff and polish all hardwood surfaces, including conference tables, floors, etc.
- Daily Cleaning Lists
- Empty waste bins and add new liners
- Vacuum daily debris from all floors
- Clean painted surfaces as well
- Wipe baseboards, light switches and door handles
- Clean all reflective surfaces, mirrors, and brass
- Put some room freshener down after cleaning
Safety Tips For Dryers
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
A rash of dryer fires in Prince George’s County, Maryland has sparked a warning from fire department officials in Maryland and Virginia. Fire departments are offering tips to residents for keeping their dryers working properly and safely.
Keeping your dryer lint-free is a crucial step when it comes to preventing a fire. Lt. Mike Buffum, with the Prince George’s County Fire Department, said his department typically sees an increase in dryer fires in the winter.
“A lot of times that’s contributed to people not cleaning out the lint or the vents for the outside (are) blocked and that heat is building up,” he said. That’s when lint and build-up can ignite.
Meanwhile, in Fairfax County, Virginia, Battalion Chief Will Bailey says so far this year, fire officials have responded to six dryer fires.
“Numerous times we’ve found the cause of a dryer fire to be there was no lint filter in the dryer,” Bailey said.
You can prevent lint from building up by limiting how many items you place in the dryer at once. If your clothes are taking longer than normal to dry, clean the lint out of the vent pipe behind the dryer.
“One of the biggest safety tips we like to let folks know turns the dryer off if you leave home or go to bed,” Bailey.
Buffum also suggested pulling your washer and dryer away from the wall and giving the area a good clean. Checking the exhaust vent outside and making sure the pipe connected to your dryer is cleaned out are also crucial steps to preventing a fire.
Types of Fire Detection
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
One of the most important components of fighting a fire is ensuring that the fire is detected early on. Early detection of fire allows building occupants to safely exit the building sooner and allows for a faster response from fire suppression systems. When it comes to fire detection, there are several detection methods that are available to choose from. The main three forms of fire detection include heat detection, smoke detection, and flame detection.
Heat detectors are activated when a fire occurs and causes the temperature in the area to rise. Once the area reaches a certain temperature, the heat detectors are activated. Heat detectors usually have fewer false alarms, but they can take longer to identify a fire than other forms of detection. Heat detectors are best suited for areas that are not frequently occupied and in areas that are not well suited for smoke detection such as steamy, humid, or dusty environments.
Smoke detectors are activated when smoke is created by a fire. There are several types of smoke detectors that use different methods to detect smoke.
Ionization detectors use radioactive material to create an electric current between two electrodes. When a fire creates smoke, the smoke disrupts the ionization and causes the alarm to go off. This type of smoke detection may result in false alarms as it can be triggered by things like humidity. These types of smoke detectors do a good job of detecting fast-burning fires.
These alarms use a light beam to detect smoke. When smoke particles from fire cross through the beam, the detectors are activated. This type of detector is reliable and has few false alarms. Photoelectric detectors work well on small smoldering fires.
Combination detectors use the technology from both ionization and photoelectric detectors to identify both fast-burning and smoldering fires.
- Aspirating Smoke Detectors
Aspirating smoke detection is a method of detecting a fire very early on. This type of detector samples and tests the particle levels in the air and is activated when the level of smoke particles rises above normal levels. This type of smoke detection is resistant to false alarms and works well around sensitive equipment as the fire can be detected before it can cause damage.
Flame detectors are used to detect a fire when flames are present. This type of fire detection includes UV detectors and/or infrared detectors to identify a flame and trigger an alarm.
University City 24-Hour Emergency Water Damage Service
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of University City is available 24 hours a day for water emergencies, large or small. When you are dealing with water damage, immediate action is crucial. A delay of just a few hours can greatly increase the severity of the water damage.
We Answer the Phone Ready to Help
Call Today - 215-877-2113
We understand that when you call us, you may be feeling confused, stressed, and vulnerable. You need an expert to guide you through this crisis. SERVPRO of University City has the specific water damage training and experience to help you through this tough time. We specialize in water damage restoration—in fact, it's the cornerstone of our business.
What to Expect
When you call, we will ask several questions regarding your water damage emergency. These questions will help us determine what equipment and resources to bring, including how many trained SERVPRO Professionals may be needed.
Our SERVPRO Representative will ask several questions:
- Your name and contact information
- Your insurance information (if applicable)
- The street address of the water-damaged home or business
- When did the flooding or water damage occur?
- What caused the water damage (if known)?
- Is there electricity available (on-site)?
Water Emergency Tips
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
When an emergency happens people tend to panic and sometimes do not have the proper tools to calmly deal with the situation. When water affects your house whether it be due to a heavy storm or a broken water heater it is always good to be informed on what to do next.
As in any emergency, safety should be your number one concern, and a water damage situation is no different!
- “Is it safe to stay in the house?” This should always be the first question you ask yourself. If the water damage has any potential to put you or your family at risk, then leave the house.
- Electrical and “slip and fall” hazards are some of the most common concerns. Be sure to shut off a power source it is safe to do so safely.
- Wet materials can be very heavy, so be careful when moving them.
- Be sure to only do things to your house that are safe for you to do and leave the rest to the remediation crew.
Content by: SERVPRO Corporate
Storm Damage Unnoticed For Several Months
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
Rain can be unpredictable enough, but when storm damage is involved it can make matters even more complicated. In fact, a local office building experienced just that. Through the holiday season, they were closed for business and did not discover the damage from the rain until the office manager returned two days later.
When she and the rest of the staff saw that every inch of the carpet was soaked and files in cardboard boxes have been saturated, they began to panic. When we arrived on the scene, we let them know everything was going to be okay. Our production team began to extract water immediately from the wet carpet while the production manager measured what areas were wet and which were dry in the corners. After thoroughly checking for moisture, extracting all water, and drying for a few days, we were able to save the carpet, saving the office and property manager hundreds of dollars.
If you have water damage due to a recent storm, let our office help! Give us a call at 215-877-2113 to schedule an Estimate today. Our team is standing by and would be happy to help.
Snow Blower Safety Tips
5/18/2022 (Permalink)
During this time of the season, snow blowers are popular, but their safety is a big deal if you are not careful.
If you are using a snowblower, you should watch out for items on your property that can jam up the snowblower. Some common items are doormats and pet toys.
When you are running a snowblower be sure you are not wearing any loose clothing. It's important to always wear tight clothing to prevent any accidents.
Most importantly never put your hand in the front end of the snowblower to remove items. That rule still applies when the machine is not moving, because there is tension on the belt. You can remove items by using a stick or a broom.
Owner of Kirkwood Ace Hardware, Jeff Hinz, says it's better to be safe than sorry.
"We see a lot of people with snowblower injuries and it's generally fingers and digits from the front. If you check any type of medical site you will see that snowblowers are a major cause of injury during the winter. Always stay behind the machine, wear shoes with a good grip so you don't slip and fall," Hinz said.
These are just a few tips to make your experience with a snowblower a good one.
Keep Your Office Safe By Knowing The Sounds of Fire Safety
5/17/2022 (Permalink)
Every year, Fire Prevention Week is given a theme it focuses on. This year’s theme is “Learn the Sounds of Fire Safety.” And it’s no surprise that the sounds of fire safety were chosen as this year’s theme. It is well documented that smoke alarms and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors can profoundly affect fire safety if we know what to listen for.
For example, the NFPA reports that working smoke alarms reduce the risk of death during a fire by over 50 percent. They also found that 41 percent of household fire deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarm and that 16 percent happened in homes with alarms that failed to activate.
And though smoke alarms have been instrumental in saving countless lives, there are still steps we can take to make them even more effective and keep our workplaces even safer. Though mainly our company works closely with other businesses to meet their fire and life safety needs; we all have our own personal dwellings and families to protect as well.
Below we’ll discuss what you need to know about smoke alarms and CO alarms and some tips for keeping yourself and your coworkers safe.
Smoke Alarms
- If you hear a set of three loud beeps (BEEP BEEP BEEP), the alarm has detected smoke or fire in the building. Your next steps should be to get out of the building, call 9-1-1, and stay out.
- If you hear just one chirp from your smoke alarm every 30 or 60 seconds, this means its battery is low and needs to be replaced.
- If you replace the battery and your smoke alarm continues to chirp, this means the alarm itself is due for replacement. No matter what, all smoke alarms must be changed after 10 years.
CO Alarms
- If you hear four loud beeps (BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP), your CO alarm has detected carbon monoxide in your building. After you hear these beeps, leave your building, call 9-1-1, and stay outside.
- If your CO alarm chirps once every 30 or 60 seconds, the battery must be replaced.
- If your CO alarm continues chirping with a fresh battery in place, this means the alarm must be replaced.
Fire Safety Tips
- Because you don’t know who may be visiting your business or residence, it is best to make sure all of your smoke and CO alarms throughout the property work for those with physical and sensory disabilities.
- Install a low-frequency alarm for those with mild to severe hearing loss.
- Encourage everyone in your building to keep their glasses and phone on them at all times.
- Make sure all stairways and hallways are adequately lit and have a clear walking path so everyone can evacuate safely.
Make sure your coworkers know all of the above sounds and tips for fire safety, so everyone remains safe at your place of business.
Leading Cause of House Fires! Electrical Heaters!
5/17/2022 (Permalink)
Electrical heating-related fires most often occur in December, January, and February. Purchasing a cozy electrical space heater is a cost-efficient solution when temperatures drop, however, can be a devastating disaster when used improperly. According to the NFPA (National Fire and Protection Agency), electrical space heaters are the leading cause of most house fires. Here are a few tips on how to properly use your electric space heater and avoid fire hazards:
- Electrical Fires: Electrical fires occur when the heating unit is not properly plugged into the wall outlet, most often plugged into an extension cord or power strip. To avoid fires:
- Give your space heater space; at least 3 feet away from combustible materials
- Do not plug other electrical devices into the same outlet as the heater.
- Plug the heater directly into the outlet
- Avoid leaving the unit running overnight
- Fire Starters: Electrical units placed too close to other combustible materials contribute to 79% of fatal home heating fires. Combustible materials include:
- Household furniture
- Clothes
- Bed Mattress
- Bedding materials
Before running your electrical heater, it’s important to understand the risks of fire and smoke damage. Fire damage can leave a lasting impact on your house and may cause additional smoke damage
Call SERVPRO at 215 877-2113 to schedule Service. Your SERVPRO of University City professionals have the training, certifications, and equipment to Make it
"Like it never even happened.”
24/7 Emergency Service