A step-by-step guide for employers and safety managers after a fire at work: immediate actions, reporting duties, working with fire officials and insurers, how to run an internal investigation, what a fire investigation report should include and how to prevent the next one.
Knowing exactly who was on site at the time of a fire is critical for accounting for people. A current time clock record or shift roster can show who clocked in and has not clocked out.
To record clock-ins, breaks and overtime automatically, see EZTime time and attendance software.
Federal OSHA requires employers to report a work-related fatality within 8 hours, and any work-related inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. Injuries and illnesses may also need to be recorded on your OSHA injury and illness log if you are covered by recordkeeping rules. States with their own OSHA-approved plans may have additional requirements. Depending on what was involved, other agencies may need notice, such as environmental agencies for releases of hazardous materials. Your insurance policy will also set notification requirements. See OSHA Form 300 and OSHA Form 301.
The fire department or fire marshal typically determines the origin and cause of a significant fire, and may involve law enforcement if arson is suspected. Your insurer may send an adjuster and its own fire investigator. Professional fire investigators commonly follow NFPA 921, the recognized guide for fire and explosion investigations. Do not move or discard debris, equipment or evidence until officials and your insurer say you may. Ask for copies of official reports when available, and keep a log of everyone who visits the scene.
Your internal investigation does not replace the official cause determination. Its purpose is to understand what happened inside your operation and how to prevent recurrence. Form a small team: a safety lead or manager, a supervisor from the affected area, an employee representative and, where needed, maintenance or engineering staff. Start as soon as the scene is safe and officials permit, while memories are fresh.
| Section | What to include |
|---|---|
| Summary | Date, time, location, brief description, injuries, damage |
| People involved | Employees and others present, injured persons, witnesses |
| Timeline | Sequence of events before, during and after the fire |
| Origin and cause | Official findings, plus your observations |
| Contributing factors | Equipment, housekeeping, storage, procedures, training |
| Response evaluation | Detection, alarm, evacuation, firefighting, communication |
| Root causes | Underlying system issues |
| Corrective actions | Actions, owners, deadlines, verification |
| Attachments | Photos, diagrams, statements, official reports, records |
Our fire incident report template covers the initial report, and the accident investigation report template can be adapted for the full investigation.
Investigation steps complete.
Not every fire becomes a major incident. A smoldering trash can, a small kitchen flare-up put out with an extinguisher or an overheating extension cord caught in time are warnings. Treat them as near misses and investigate briefly: what happened, why, and what would stop it happening again. Small events usually share causes with large ones, such as poor housekeeping or unmaintained equipment. Encourage employees to report them without fear, and recognize people who do. A short near-miss report takes minutes and can prevent a far more serious fire.
Record that a fire extinguisher was used, and have it serviced or replaced before it goes back on the wall. A partly discharged extinguisher may not work the next time it is needed.
Witness interviews are often the best source of information and the easiest to get wrong. Interview people separately, in a quiet place, as soon as practical. Explain that the goal is prevention. Ask open questions such as “What did you notice first?” and “What happened next?”, and avoid leading questions such as “Didn’t you see smoke from the panel?”. Write down what each person says in their own words and ask them to review it. Employees who fear discipline may hold back, so separate the fact-finding investigation from any disciplinary process.
Suppose a fire started in a dust collector in a woodworking shop. The immediate cause was a spark igniting fine dust. A shallow investigation would stop there and recommend more careful work. A root cause investigation asks why: the collector had not been emptied in weeks, because cleaning was nobody’s assigned task after a supervisor left, and the inspection checklist did not include it. The corrective actions then become specific and lasting: assign the task, add it to a recurring checklist with photo proof, train the team and verify completion weekly.
EZTime does not investigate fires, but it supports several parts of preparedness and follow-up. Real-time clock-in records show who is on shift at each location, which helps account for people during an evacuation. Recurring tasks with photo proof can schedule extinguisher, exit and housekeeping checks. Announcements reach employees by app or SMS with closure and safety updates, and digital forms can collect incident reports and witness statements with signatures.
Two OSHA pages cover the official side of a fire investigation:
Close calls are the part most businesses skip. A small fire put out with an extinguisher has the same causes as a big one, only with luck on your side. Investigate it with the same steps.
Fire officials, such as the fire department or fire marshal, typically determine origin and cause. Insurers may send their own investigators. The employer should run an internal investigation focused on prevention.
OSHA requires reporting a work-related fatality within 8 hours and an inpatient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours. A fire without such outcomes may not need immediate reporting, but injuries may need to be recorded. State plans may add rules.
A summary, people involved, timeline, origin and cause, contributing factors, response evaluation, root causes, corrective actions and attachments such as photos and statements.
Only after fire officials and your insurer release the scene. Moving debris earlier can destroy evidence and affect your claim.
A widely used guide for fire and explosion investigations that sets out a systematic method for determining origin and cause.
You must report to OSHA if the fire causes a work-related fatality (within 8 hours) or an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye (within 24 hours). A fire with no serious injuries does not by itself trigger OSHA reporting, but local fire authorities and insurers may need a report.
Include a manager, a safety lead if you have one, an employee who knows the work area and, where needed, outside experts such as the fire department or an insurer’s investigator. OSHA encourages managers and employees to investigate together.
EZTime’s clock-in records show who was working, and where they clocked in, at the time of an incident.