KUCHING, Oct 31: Not taking fire and accidents at the work place lightly, 120 management and staff of Sime Darby plantations took part in a fire safety programme with the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) yesterday.
Among the activities carried out at the Sime Darby Lavang estate were fire safety talk, how to use portable fire extinguishers, to fight small fire that starts from the kitchen stove for example, and tips on detecting gas leakage.
Samalaju fire station chief Hashim Norshidi said the fire management is important in order to protect life and property, therefore everyone must be prepared for any incident in the workplace.
“Apart from prevention and alertness, workers must also know what to do when a fire occurs, regardless at workplace or home,” he said, adding that the workers were told that the best way to avoid incident is to eliminate related hazards whenever possible.
The team from several estates namely Lavang, Rasan, Belian, Kelida and Lavang Mill were also told to keep their workplace clean as rubbish and plantation debris can accelerate fire and bad housekeeping may block emergency exits.
Meanwhile, a group of 77 staff from Betong federal government building underwent a surprise fire drill.
Senior Fire Officer I Henry Jugah said the staff were not aware of the drill, which was conducted at 8.40am.
“The purpose of fire drills in buildings is to ensure that everyone knows how to exit safely as quickly as possible if a fire, smoke, carbon monoxide or other emergency occurs. People also need to recognise the sound of the fire alarm,” Henry said.
Apart from practising how a building would be evacuated in the event of a fire or other emergencies, they were also taught on common hazardous fire conditions resulting from poor housekeeping and improper storage of hazardous items. — DayakDaily
