Fire Risk Assessment
What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is an organised and methodical examination of your premises and the activities carried on within it, to establish the source and likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises.
If your organisation employees five or more people or your premises are licensed or an alterations notice requiring it is in force, then the significant findings of the fire risk assessment, the actions to be taken as a result of the assessment and details of anyone especially at risk must be recorded. It may be helpful to keep a record of your significant findings of your fire risk assessment even if you are not required to do so.
Its aims are :
• To identify the fire hazards.
• To reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably practicable
• To decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your premises if a fire does start.
Hazard: Anything that has the potential to cause harm.
Risk: The chances of that harm occurring.
Who would need to do this?
An employer and/or someone who has control of the premises a person known as the “responsible person”, a more in depth definition is given below. This legislation does not apply to single private dwellings but it may affect the common areas of blocks of flats, and also houses in multiple occupation.
Premises such as:-
• Offices and Shops
• Care homes and Nursing homes
• Pubs, Clubs and Restaurants
• Community Halls, Village Halls, Scout Halls etc
• Places of Worship
• Houses in Multiple Occupation
• Hotels and Hospitals
• Factories, Warehouses and Industrial Units
• All non domestic premises including those used by the self employed.
• Holiday cottages, Guest Houses and Bed and Breakfast Establishments.
The premises listed above indicate the scope of the legislation, but the list is not exhaustive. If in any doubt please call for advice, or talk to your local fire service who will be able to advise you.
Are you the responsible person and what does that mean?
An extract from the act states:-In this Order “responsible person” means—
(a) in relation to a workplace, the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his control;
(b) in relation to any premises not falling within paragraph (a)—
(i) the person who has control of the premises (as occupier or otherwise) in connection with the carrying on by him of a trade, business or other undertaking (for profit or not); or
(ii) the owner, where the person in control of the premises does not have control in connection with the carrying on by that person of a trade, business or other undertaking.
Under the act there is a requirement for the responsible person to carry out “Fire safety duties “such as general fire precautions, carrying out a fire risk assessment and having adequate fire safety arrangements. This is where we can help you by undertaking these on your behalf and providing a report in a straightforward understandable format.
It is not just a case of legislative compliance but making your business and place of work a safer place to be. Many businesses who suffer a fire never recover and cease trading completely.
Some businesses which are small and straight forward may be able to carry out a fire risk assessment themselves. The link below will give guidance and advice for the various premises covered by the act. If in doubt seek advice from a fire risk assessor and/or your local fire safety department.
Fire safety guides
www.communities.gov.uk
Local Government regulation (formerly LACORS housing guide)
Who should carry out fire risk assessment in your business?
A competent person should carry out the fire risk assessment on your premises.
Competent Person
A person is to be regarded as competent for the purposes of the Fire Safety Order where he or she has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable them to properly assist in undertaking the preventative and protective measures.
Relevant Persons
Any person who is or may be lawfully on the premises and any person in the immediate vicinity of the premises who is at risk from a fire on the premises.
What to expect on the day of your fire risk assessment.
Our fire risk assessor will visit your premises; they will need to talk to the Responsible person or a designated person who is responsible for daily fire safety, within your property. A visit could typically take 2-4 hours but may be longer depending on the complexity of your business and premises.
Firstly an audit of your safety procedures and your emergency plan will be undertaken and suggested areas of improvement will be made where necessary. Advice will also be available if you do not currently have an emergency plan.
You should have all your test records ready for the assessor. Items such as the fire alarm log book, fire alarm service records, evidence of fire extinguisher checks, emergency lighting and sprinkler test logs and any other associated fire safety requirements for the building should be available.
The assessor will carry out a detailed assessment of your premises and will take notes and may take photographs of fire safety issues to provide information for the risk assessment. After the assessment the assessor will discuss any findings which have arisen from the visit and give advice regarding safety, and legal compliance.
Shortly after the assessment has been carried out you will receive a detailed report which will inform you of the significant findings of the visit and provide options for any remedial action which may be needed to be taken, and a prioritisation of works with a time frame.