Class A: Suitable for combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics.
Class B: Required when the fire involves flammable or combustible liquids such as petrol, kerosene, grease, and oil.
Class C: Best-suited for fires involving electrical equipment such as appliances, wiring, circuit breakers, and outlets. Never use water to extinguish class C fires!
Class D: For fires involving chemicals and combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, potassium, and sodium.
Class F: Designed for fires that involve cooking oils, trans-fats, or fats in cooking appliances that are typically found in restaurants.

To use the extinguisher effectively, use the four-step PASS technique:

• Pull the pin in the handle, this will break the tamper seal.

• Aim low, pointing the nozzle or hose at the base of the fire. Do not touch the horn on a CO2 extinguisher, it gets very cold and can damage the skin.

• Squeeze the handle/grip slowly to release the extinguishing agent.

• Sweep from side to side at the base of the fire, the fuel source, until the fire is out.

Attempting to put out a fire which is beyond your capabilities can prove very dangerous. Only tackle a fire in its very early stages and always ensure that you put your safety and that of others first.

If there is the slightest doubt or uncertainty about your ability to extinguish the fire, evacuate the building immediately and call the fire brigade.

If you cannot put out the fire or if the extinguisher becomes empty, evacuate yourself and everyone in the building immediately, closing all doors behind you as you go.

Here are some general safety tips for household heating:

General

• Place heaters away from materials such as curtains, bedding, clothing, and wooden furniture and ensure adult supervision if children are around.
• Keep children and pets at least one metre away from all heating units.
• Never leave a heater on when you leave the house.
• Do not place objects directly on top of heaters and leave a one-metre object free space around heating units.
• Do not place anything less than a metre in front of your open fire or heater
• Never use (an electric or gas) oven to heat the house.

Electrical appliances

• Always check cords and wiring on electrical heaters before using them and do not use devices with frayed or damaged wiring.
• Do not use extension cords or multi-plugs for your heaters.
• Never run electric cables under carpets, as this might cause a short and start a fire.
• Use electric heaters with great caution. Never leave a heater unattended – this includes while you are sleeping.
• Unplug electric heaters before you go to sleep or leave the area where they are used.
• Always turn heaters and electric blankets off when leaving the room for an extended period or going to bed.
• Do not use your heater to dry your clothes.
• Switch electric blankets off at the wall plug once you leave the bed.
• Turn off all electrical appliances if a power failure occurs in your area.
• Keep electrical appliances and cables away from water.
• Keep your eyes open for signs of dangerous or loose wiring such as scorch marks, hot plugs and sockets, flickering lights, fuses that blow, or circuit-breakers that trip for no obvious reason.
• Check and replace any old cables, paying particular attention to those that are hidden behind furniture or under carpets.

The risk of electrical faults can rise during winter, as we use an increasing number of heat-related appliances simultaneously. Having the kettle, the toaster, and several heaters going at the same time can prove dangerous if you are using the same socket for all these appliances.

Gas heaters and fireplaces

• Open fireplaces should always have a spark guard.
• Always extinguish the fire in a fireplace before you go to bed.
• When using gas heaters and fireplaces, ensure that the room is adequately ventilated.
• Take special care when you use open fires for barbequing or heating, and extinguish all before you leave the area.
• Extinguish an open fire before you leave it.
• Ensure that the chimney in your house is cleaned regularly and covered with a safety shield.
• Have your heating equipment or chimney cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Use paraffin appliances in a well-ventilated area and switch them off after using them.
• Store flammable liquids in a cool, ventilated area to avoid explosions.

In the event of a fire

If a fire occurs in your home, follow these steps:

• Keep calm, act quickly, and get yourself and everyone else out as soon as possible.
• Do not waste time rescuing valuables.
• If there is smoke, keep low, where the air is clearer
• Call the fire department or emergency services first.
• You can also call ER24 at 084 124 or an armed response partner who can contact emergency services and support in the event of a trauma.

A few other things to keep in mind

• Have a smoke detector and gas detector installed.
• Store fire blankets and fire extinguishers in readily accessible places, and do not forget to have fire extinguishers maintained each year.
• Many alarm systems have an emergency or medical panic button on them. Check with your response provider and know which button to press in an emergency.

Do you know what to do when one of your employees gets injured on the job?
You might probably think that you will be liable for all the medical expenses.
Maybe you know that you need to complete an Employers report of accident form and send it to the doctor with the patient, but did you know you still have to report the incident?

Every employer with one or more employees are legally responsible to register with the compensation fund.  This is your insurance for any medical expenses that are incurred due to injuries on the job.  It also ensures that your employees can not put in a civil claim against you.  The fund will also pay employees for temporary and permanent disability.

If a person gets injured, you, the employer must complete an Employers Report of Accident (W.Cl. 2) form and send part B to the doctor or hospital with the patient.

This, however, is not the end of the story.  You as employer must send part A and the rest of the form to the compensation commissioner to report the claim.  It is an offence not to report an accident.

The employer must also pay the salary of the injured for the first 3 months, even if the employee is booked off.  You can claim this money back from the commissioner.

The injured employee must help you to obtain all the relevant medical reports which must be send to the compensation commissioner before the claim can be finalized.