When might you need a waking watch?

Find out when your business requires a waking watch service.

Fire safety is extremely important for every organisation and should always be taken seriously. Failure to comply with regulations can lead to severe consequences including the risk of punishment, serious injury and even death. Unfortunately, many businesses still experience fire safety breaches due to cost-cutting measures or a lack of awareness of the requirements.

A waking watch service can assist organisations in different situations to effectively prevent fire incidents from getting out of hand. Let’s take a look into what a waking watch entails and when it’s necessary.

What Is A Waking Watch?

A waking watch provides you with 24-hour surveillance and monitoring of a building to ensure the safety of all occupants from fire hazards. Waking watch patrols are there to quickly alert fire services, sound the fire alarm, and regularly monitor the site for potential hazards whilst providing ongoing reports.

Large Residential Buildings Or Hotels

If you own or are part of a business that owns high-occupancy buildings such as residential apartment blocks or hotels, a waking watch is one of the most effective ways to ensure that hazards are managed and all residents are safe.

Highly trained fire marshals can proactively address common risks in these buildings, such as electrical use and socket overloading, kitchen hazards and more. As there are many occupants in separate rooms and areas of the building, the waking watch ensures the evacuation process can begin immediately, minimising the risk of injury or casualties.

Temporary Structures And Sites

Temporary sites or those undergoing construction may lack comprehensive fire safety systems. Implementing an effective alarm system on such sites can be challenging due to constant changes, yet the fire risk remains high.

A waking watch enables these high-risk sites to still have a fire safety strategy in place. Marshals can adapt to changes easily, detect risks, and effectively alert everybody onsite should an incident occur.

Commercial Buildings Without A Functioning Fire System

All commercial buildings, especially larger ones, require extensive fire safety systems and strategies in place for a safe working environment.

However, in certain circumstances it may be that your building doesn’t have a functioning fire system – perhaps it is broken and you’re waiting for a new installation, or perhaps you have recently moved into a new building and there is no fire safety infrastructure in place.

Despite the temptation to ignore these periods to avoid additional costs, the significant risks associated with fire safety non-compliance must be considered. A waking watch service can cover your premises and ensure everyone’s safety during these times.

Previous Fire Safety Failures

If your business has previously failed fire safety precautions, including AOV Inspections, you may be required to implement a waking watch. In the incidence of serious fire safety failings, you might have your fire safety strategy changed from stay put to simultaneous evacuation.

In such cases, additional fire safety measures are necessary to demonstrate the site’s safety for staff, residents, or customers. Often, a waking watch can fulfil these requirements and ensure the necessary levels of fire safety.

There are many situations where a waking watch service can significantly improve the safety of your site and may be the only viable option to protect your business, staff, residents, and customers.

If you’d like to learn more about implementing a waking watch for your building, feel free to contact us for a free quote today.