EHS Inspections: Focus on Fire Safety

April 2nd, 2025 by Dakota Software Staff

Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) inspections are essential to ensure compliance and create a strong safety culture. In this recurring series, we’re diving into the most common challenges facing EHS professionals—and providing quick inspection tips to help address them.

Fire safety – Fire is one of the most universal workplace safety hazards. A variety of causes can start a fire, ranging from electrical faults to operational processes to mechanical accidents to natural disasters. Even those who work in a home office with few physical hazards should have smoke detectors and fire extinguishers (hopefully) close at hand. That’s why every facility, no matter its industry, size, or location, needs a fire safety program. It’s true that some organizations face more fire risk than others—but no facility is risk-free. Such a constant hazard requires constant vigilance, and fire safety inspections are critical to the effort.

The What and Why of Fire Safety

What it is: There are numerous Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards addressing fire safety in construction, maritime, and general industry. OSHA provides a comprehensive overview of these standards here; EHS leaders should check these (and any relevant OSHA-approved state plans) and note if and how their organization’s programs must go beyond basic fire safety and be tailored to meet specific fire protection and prevention compliance obligations.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is another invaluable resource for EHS professionals, offering hundreds of codes and standards that address a wide range of fire safety topics. These standards are developed by subject matter experts and frequently updated with the latest best practices and guidance. The NFPA 25 standard is particularly relevant for fire suppression system inspections.

Why it matters: Fires can cause immense costs to businesses through injuries, illness, property damage, and disruptions to production. Many fire risks (outside of wildfires or other natural disasters) are foreseeable and mitigated relatively easily; negligence or complacency can lead to steep financial penalties and reputational consequences. Beyond any industry-specific fire safety regulations, the General Duty Clause requires employers to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards—and fire has been a recognized hazard to human health and safety since before there was even a word for it.

In short, there is no excuse for poor fire safety. Regular inspections can help keep your organization and its workers safe.

Steps for an Effective Fire Safety Inspection

The following items can be organized into a fire safety inspection checklist and should allow space for commentary where maintenance notes or descriptions of corrective action may be necessary.

Fire alarms/smoke detectors

• Are all fire alarms and smoke detectors inspected and tested on a schedule in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions?

• Are employees trained to distinguish fire alarms from other types of alarms?

• Are all fire alarm pulls unobstructed and functional, and do employees know where to find them?

• If emergency exit doors are equipped with alarms, are they regularly inspected?

Fire extinguishers

• Is there an appropriate number of fire extinguishers for the overall size/footprint of your facility, and are they present in areas where there is a greater risk of fire, including (but not limited to):

• Kitchens;

• High-heat and/or especially dry workspaces;

• Production areas with machinery that generates a great deal of friction and/or may occasionally throw off sparks;

• Smoke break areas; and

• Anywhere highly combustible materials are stored?

• Are fire extinguishers easily accessible, and are employees trained in their use?

• Is there a regular schedule for inspecting all fire extinguishers on the premises to ensure that they are charged?

Fire suppression systems

• Are all suppression systems well maintained and routinely inspected/tested?

• If chemical fire suppressants (rather than water) are used in the system, are employees notified of the health risks and trained in protective measures as necessary?

Fire evacuation

• Are all fire evacuation routes clearly marked with signage and illustrative maps?

• Are employees trained on which evacuation routes to take in the event of a fire, and are procedures in place to check isolated locations like bathrooms?

• Are all emergency lights along fire evacuation routes operational and properly illuminated?

• Do you regularly run fire evacuation drills (at least annually, preferably quarterly)?

• Are good housekeeping practices in place to ensure evacuation routes are unblocked and free of debris, cables, equipment, or any other trip hazards?

• Are there documented procedures for safely powering down critical equipment in an emergency?

This is only a start—depending on the unique fire hazards facing your industry or facility, there may be additional (or fewer) risks to mitigate and protective measures to implement and maintain.

EHS Inspection Management Made Easier

EHS inspections rely on proper completion and management of checklists—and it can be a complex undertaking. Depending on the size and nature of their organization, EHS leaders need to ensure timeliness, consistency, and accuracy of inspections across departments and facilities.

That’s why EHS software is essential for inspection management. An integrated software solution has the ability to standardize forms and processes, maintain compliance calendars, push reminders, and keep easily searchable records of results. Perhaps most importantly, software can provide insights into the resulting inspection data via comprehensive analytics dashboards. Instead of simply filing away checklists and forgetting about them, software can illustrate where your EHS programs are succeeding and point out areas where additional training or other corrective actions may be necessary.

Software Solutions with an Eye for Safety

Inspections help EHS leaders maintain the vigilance necessary for safety and environmental compliance—and software solutions provide the power to manage it all effectively. Dakota Inspections allows you to create and share checklists tailor-made to your organization’s needs, plus track progress to guide corrective action.

Start your free trial today.