Study on the relationship between disaster prevention awareness and fire safety management of commercial facilities

For the real estate industry in Japan, the significance of facility management has been on the rise in recent years. Especially, the importance of fire safety management for facilities has grown as part of preparations for potential large-scale earthquakes. Fire safety management is regulated by the Fire Service Act and is established based on analyses of past facility fire incidents. However, in fact, facilities with inappropriate fire safety management can often be observed. The purpose of this research is, to target commercial facilities, investigate and analyze the causes of inappropriate fire safety management from the perspective of human error, and implement effective fire safety management. The hypothesis was constructed that the reality of fire safety management in commercial facilities is related to the disaster prevention awareness of managers and employees in commercial facilities. The hypothesis was examined through field surveys in commercial facilities and interviews with facility managers and is substantiated. With the aim of reducing human errors in fire safety management, the "Fire Safety Management Checklist" has been proposed, and its effectiveness has been confirmed.