Annual fire safety inspections in commercial applications are a mandatory action performed to ensure the adopted code by the local authority having jurisdiction deems that the business has adequate fire safety prevention in place. When items are flagged during an annual inspection, the report you receive will identify the circumstances or conditions recognized that need to be addressed within a specific time frame to avoid fines and or temporary shutdown of operations.
Annual inspections are performed by a jurisdiction's fire marshal's office, the local fire department, or a local building department inspector. The execution of these yearly inspections can often lead to punitive where violations, and subsequent fines or code enforcement may be carried out.
Misunderstandings About Annual Business Inspections
Business owners or property managers often need clarification as to why fines are being imposed or code enforcement action is noted when violations are identified.
In all fairness, operators must realize that when they make changes inside a warehouse design by expanding the type or amount of materials being stored, this can change the requirements for adequate fire safety coverage inside that building or specific space.
One of the biggest and most costly changes we encounter during our inspection, includes warehouse owners not realizing that in-rack sprinkler systems might be required if they increase their stock size. Finding this type of information out during an annual inspection after an operator has went ahead and installed taller racks can lead to pretty significant financial hardship.
