In brief
Fire prevention measures in the workplace are built on separating ignition sources from combustible materials. A weekly checklist covering hot work, electrics, storage, waste and the smoking area should be simple enough for the support staff member in the firefighting team to run, and should link every finding to a responsible person and a date. The list works when managed together with annual periodic inspections, the emergency plan and drills.
Why do workplace fire prevention measures come before firefighting?
For a fire to start, three things must come together at the same time: combustible material, oxygen and an ignition source. Extinguishers, sprinklers and the evacuation plan come into play after the fire has started; workplace fire prevention measures, on the other hand, aim to stop these three from ever meeting. You cannot control the oxygen in the air; what you can do is limit ignition sources and keep the combustible load away from them.
The legislation sets out the same order. Art. 11/1-a of Law No. 6331 on Occupational Health and Safety requires the employer to identify possible and probable emergencies in advance and to take preventive and limiting measures against their adverse effects. Art. 9 of the Regulation on Emergencies in Workplaces repeats the same obligation and requires the measures taken to be based on collective protection. The building's construction, installation and firefighting equipment requirements are set by the Regulation on the Protection of Buildings from Fire.
This article deals not with the installation design but with day-to-day operation: it turns the points that need to be looked at with the same eye every week in a production facility, workshop or warehouse into a practical checklist.
Where does workplace fire risk mostly come from?
Whether it is a factory, workshop or warehouse, workplace fire risk is mostly concentrated in the same five ignition sources. In businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, the local version is familiar: welding and grinding sparks in metal and automotive supply, shavings and fine dust in furniture workshops, fibre and fabric load in textiles, cardboard and packaging in warehouses.
| Ignition source | Typical scenario | First measure |
|---|---|---|
| Welding, cutting, grinding | A spark falls between pallets or into shavings under a grating; the fire starts after the work is finished | Hot work permit, area clean-up, fire watch |
| Electrics | Overloaded extension lead, loose panel connection, crushed cable | Fixed socket circuit, keeping the front of the panel clear, periodic inspection |
| Storage | Flammable liquids, aerosols and cardboard on the same shelf; stack close to a light fitting | Separate storage, safety cabinet, stacking height limit |
| Waste | Oily rags, shavings and packaging waste pile up at the base of machines | Metal container with lid, emptying at the end of the shift, keeping the waste yard away from the building |
| Smoking | A cigarette end thrown onto a cardboard bale or dry grass | A single smoking point outside the building with a non-combustible floor and an ashtray |
Hot surfaces such as ovens, stenters and compressors, as well as friction and static electricity, can be added to this list. As these are specific to the machine and process, they should be dealt with as separate rows in the risk assessment.
Weekly fire safety checklist
The fire safety checklist below is designed to be run in a production facility every week on the same day and along the same route. Each item is marked "yes / no / note"; every item answered "no" is linked to a responsible person and a deadline.
Hot work
- Has a permit form been issued for every welding, cutting and grinding job done this week, and closed when the job was finished?
- Has combustible material around the work point been removed or covered with a non-combustible blanket?
- Has the area been watched for a set period after the work was finished, and has this period been written on the form?
- Are the welding machine cables, electrode holder and earth connection undamaged?
Electrics
- Are panel covers closed and the front of the panels free of materials?
- Are there extension leads that have become permanent, daisy-chained multi-socket adaptors or spliced cables?
- Have any warm sockets, blackened plugs or burning smells been reported?
- Are heaters, kettles and chargers that should be switched off at the end of the working day being switched off?
Storage
- Are flammable liquids in labelled containers and only in the quantity needed for the day? Is the surplus in a safety cabinet or a separate store?
- Are aerosols, gas cylinders and oxidising substances kept apart from each other?
- Does the stack stay clear of sprinkler heads and light fittings?
- Have the aisles between racks and the escape routes not been narrowed by stacking?
Waste and cleaning
- Are oily rags and absorbent materials in metal containers with lids?
- Have shavings, dust and fibre built up on top of machines, inside ducts and on lamps?
- Are waste containers not right up against the building wall and loading doors?
Smoking point
- Are there cigarette ends outside the designated point?
- Does the point have a non-combustible ashtray and a non-combustible floor, and is there any pallet or cardboard stacking around it?
Readiness to respond
- Are extinguishers unobstructed, their seals intact and their pressure gauges in the correct zone?
- Are fire hose cabinets and hydrants unobstructed?
- Are emergency exit doors unlocked and clear?
- Have fire doors not been wedged open?
Who runs the list, and where are findings recorded?
The most natural person to run the round is the support staff member assigned to the firefighting team in the emergency plan. The legislation requires at least one support staff member to be appointed for each of the firefighting, rescue and protection teams for up to 30 employees in very hazardous, 40 in hazardous and 50 in less hazardous workplaces, and these people already receive fire training. Having the department supervisor join the round makes it easier to close findings on the same day.
The arrangement we recommend is:
- Weekly round: The support staff member and the department supervisor walk the list together and sign the form.
- On-the-spot correction: Simple findings such as a pallet in front of a panel or a fire door left open are fixed during the round and marked as "fixed".
- Follow-up list: Findings that require purchasing or maintenance (a safety cabinet, an additional socket circuit) are entered on the follow-up list with a responsible person and a deadline.
- Specialist review: On their visit, the OHS specialist reviews the follow-up list and notifies the employer in writing of any deficiencies that remain open or recur, as required by Art. 8/2 of Law No. 6331.
- Back to the risk assessment: If the same finding appears in consecutive weeks, the problem is not discipline but the system; update the relevant row and measure in the risk assessment.
Permanent fire prevention methods
The checklist catches deviations; the permanent solution lies in the arrangements. The principles in Art. 5 of Law No. 6331 apply here too: avoiding risks, combating risks at source and giving priority to collective protection. In practice, the fire prevention methods that deliver the most results are:
- Concentrate hot work in one place. For recurring welding and grinding jobs, a fixed area with non-combustible partitions is safer than opening a permit in the production area every time. For unavoidable cases, use the form flow in our article on the hot work permit.
- Stop extension leads being a permanent solution. Every extension lead that stays plugged in permanently points to a missing fixed socket. Under Annex III of the Regulation on Work Equipment, internal electrical installations and earthing are subject to periodic inspection once a year.
- Reduce the combustible load. Keep only as much paint, thinner or solvent in the production area as is needed for one shift; remove packaging and cardboard from the production area according to the frequency of shipments.
- Capture dust and fibre at source. In furniture and textile businesses, local exhaust ventilation and regular duct cleaning reduce both the combustible load and the likelihood of dust ignition. If there is a possibility of an explosive dust atmosphere, assess it separately in the explosion protection document.
- Design the smoking point. Tobacco products may not be consumed in the enclosed areas of production and commercial buildings anyway (Law No. 4207 Art. 2). Showing employees an outdoor point away from combustible materials, with an ashtray and a non-combustible floor, is much safer than cigarettes smoked secretly behind the warehouse.
Preparing for a fire safety inspection
In a fire safety inspection you may not be asked for your weekly list on its own; but it is the best evidence that the other documents are actually being applied. The following documents are usually requested:
| Document or record | Basis and frequency |
|---|---|
| Emergency plan (fire scenario, layout plan, appointees) | Renewed every 2 years for very hazardous, 4 years for hazardous and 6 years for less hazardous workplaces, and on relevant changes |
| Drill form | At least once a year |
| Support staff appointments and training records | Number per team according to hazard class |
| Fire installation inspection reports (extinguishers, sprinklers, hydrants, detection) | Regulation on Work Equipment Annex III: at most 1 year |
| Internal electrical installation, earthing and lightning conductor reports | Annex III: at most 1 year |
| Hot work permit forms | For each job |
| Weekly inspection forms and follow-up list | Internal procedure; kept together with the specialist's review |
For breaches of the obligations relating to emergencies, the 2026 basic administrative fine is 22,194 TL for each obligation not fulfilled, and the same amount applies for every month the breach continues; the amount is increased according to the number of employees and the hazard class. You can calculate your own situation with the OHS administrative fines tool and track drill and plan renewal dates in the OHS calendar.
The type and number of extinguishers is a separate calculation; our articles on types of fire extinguisher and how many fire extinguishers a workplace should have cover this in detail. Under fire training we provide theoretical and practical training, and in our emergency plan service we prepare the fire scenario according to your site layout and teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who should fill in the fire prevention checklist?
It is practical for the support staff member assigned to the firefighting team and the department supervisor to run it together. The OHS specialist prepares the list for the workplace, reviews the results and notifies the employer in writing of deficiencies that remain open. The employer is responsible in all cases for implementing the measures.
Should the check be weekly or monthly?
The legislation does not set a frequency for this internal check. In businesses where hot work is done, where there is heavy storage or which generate dust and fibre, a weekly round catches deviations before they accumulate. In an office with a low combustible load, a monthly round may be enough; base the decision on the risk assessment.
How often is the fire installation periodically inspected?
Under Annex III of the Regulation on Health and Safety Conditions in the Use of Work Equipment, the maximum interval for extinguishing systems, sprinklers, hydrants, portable extinguishers and detection systems is 1 year. If a standard or the manufacturer's instructions provide for a shorter interval, that interval applies.
Is smoking completely banned in the workplace?
Law No. 4207 bans the consumption of tobacco products in the enclosed areas of production and commercial buildings. Designating a smoking point in an open area is the employer's decision; if one is designated, it should be away from combustible materials, with a non-combustible floor and an ashtray.
Fire classes, choosing the right extinguisher, hands-on extinguishing in a safe open area and an evacuation drill, all in one training.
Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.