By Kevin Howlette, Fire and Emergency Preparedness Consultant, EHS International
Every January, organisations across Ireland and the UK return to full operational pace after the Christmas period. Unfortunately, this is also when many of the year’s most preventable fire safety failures are discovered. After weeks of reduced activity, seasonal shutdowns or skeleton staffing, systems often do not function as expected once work resumes.
At EHS International, our fire consultancy team supports a wide range of sectors. Year after year, we see the same issues appearing in January inspections. None of them are complex. None of them require major investment. Yet all of them increase fire risk significantly.
Recognising these failures early allows organisations to correct them before operations intensify and before minor oversights become major incidents.
1. Fire doors not closing or not being used correctly
One of the most common failures in January is compromised fire doors. During December, fire doors are often propped open for convenience, temperature control or simple oversight. After the break, many remain obstructed, damaged or compromised without anyone noticing.
Common issues include:
• Doors wedged open
• Damaged or missing seals
• Faulty self closing mechanisms
• Obstructions placed in front of doorways
• Incorrect signage or no signage at all
Fire doors save lives. They limit smoke spread, delay fire travel and protect escape routes. Even a small defect changes how a fire behaves.
A January inspection should always include a full fire door check.
2. Fire extinguishers misused, inaccessible or incorrectly signed
Seasonal shutdowns disrupt routine checks and behaviour. In January, it is common to find:
• Fire extinguishers used as door props
• Extinguishers past their service date
• Equipment removed temporarily and never returned
• Empty units due to unnoticed discharge
• Extinguishers blocked by stock, furniture or decorations
• Poor or incorrectly positioned signage
• Incorrect extinguisher type for the fire risk present
Fire extinguishers must never be used as door stops. This compromises both the fire door and the extinguisher itself.
It is also important to remember that fire extinguishers are primarily there to aid escape, not to fight large fires. They support early intervention only where safe to do so and help people reach a place of safety. Incorrect placement, signage or classification undermines this purpose and can place individuals at risk.
3. Lithium ion charging areas not reset after December
December creates unusual patterns of equipment use. Temporary charging areas appear to support seasonal workload or additional site tools. In January, these makeshift charging points often remain in place, unsupervised and unassessed.
Risks include:
• Damaged chargers reused after shutdown
• Devices charged in inappropriate or confined locations
• Poor separation between charging areas and combustible materials
• No quarantine area for damaged or suspect batteries
It is important to note that there are currently no conventional fire extinguishers capable of extinguishing a lithium ion battery fire, other than lithium specific extinguishing agents. At present, only lithium certified extinguishing solutions, such as certain multipurpose fluids rated up to 600 Wh, are recognised for limited intervention. Even these are intended to control escalation, not eliminate the hazard.
Lithium ion fires behave differently and can re ignite. Poor charging layouts remain one of the most common ignition sources identified in early Q1 inspections.
4. Emergency lighting not functioning after shutdown
Emergency lighting failures frequently emerge after holiday closures due to:
• Battery depletion during extended shutdown
• Missed monthly function tests
• Power interruptions
• Physical damage to fittings
Workers assume lighting will operate during evacuation. When it does not, panic increases and evacuation slows. January is the ideal time to verify that emergency lighting systems are functional, compliant and adequately signed.
5. Fire alarms left in test mode or not reset after maintenance
During December, fire alarms are often placed into test mode for shutdown works, maintenance access or false alarm management. It is surprisingly common to find systems still in test mode in January.
A fire alarm that does not activate places the entire workforce at risk and can carry serious legal, insurance and enforcement consequences.
6. Storage areas overloaded, dusty or reconfigured unsafely
January brings restocking, project mobilisation and new year deliveries. This often results in:
• Overloaded racking
• Stock stored too close to heaters or ignition sources
• Blocked fire exits and access routes
• Poor segregation of flammable materials
• Temporary storage becoming permanent
• Accumulation of dust, waste and combustible rubbish
Dust build up and unmanaged waste significantly increase fire load and ignition potential, particularly in industrial and warehouse environments. These issues often go unnoticed during busy restart periods but play a major role in fire spread.
Storage layout, housekeeping and cleanliness directly influence how a fire develops. Small corrections can prevent major incidents.
Proactive inspections prevent reactive firefighting
The recurring nature of these failures shows that fire risk is rarely created by neglect. More often, it is caused by disruption to routine, incorrect assumptions and the pace of returning to work.
A strong January fire inspection should include:
• Fire doors
• Alarm reset and functionality checks
• Emergency lighting
• Lithium ion charging infrastructure
• Storage layout and housekeeping
• Extinguishers and hydrants
• Escape routes
• Hot works controls
• Fire stopping and compartmentation
At EHS International, we help organisations correct fire safety drift early in the year, ensuring that controls are restored before operations increase in complexity and risk.
Fire safety is not seasonal. But January is where strong fire safety starts.
