Fire Risk Assessment
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Since the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 fire certificates are no longer issued. Instead onus falls onto the ‘Responsible Person’ to take appropriate action to prevent fire and protect building users in the event of a fire.
The First Step is a Fire Risk Assessment
First you must carry out a Fire Risk Assessment of your premises. Whether you have an existing fire risk assessment in place or not, we can help. It is essential that you keep the assessment under review and revise it where necessary. It is best practice to ensure your current fire risk assessment is updated periodically to encompass on-going changes in the building structure, relevant persons and other mitigating factors. If you have over five employees, this assessment must be documented.
Our Qualified Fire Risk Assessors
Managers (IFSM), NEBOSH National Certificated in Fire Safety and Risk Management or CPOA Diploma trained and Graduate and Members of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
Do I need a fire risk assessment?
Under the current fire safety legislation – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsibility for fire safety in non-domestic premised is placed on the ‘Responsible Person’ or person having control of the premises who must make adequate provisions for the fire safety of their employees, visitors and any relevant persons including temporary, paid or unpaid staff. The legislation requires all employers to carry out their own fire risk assessment.
If there are over five employees, this assessment must be documented.
Are you the ‘Responsible Person’? If you are an owner, landlord or occupier of a business or other non-domestic premises, you’ll be responsible for fire safety. You’re known as the ‘Responsible Person’. In Scotland the term the ‘Duty Holder’ might be used, or ‘Appropriate Person’ in Northern Ireland, but they mean the same thing. The ‘Responsible Person’ may be prosecuted if they fail to comply with the law. As the ‘Responsible Person’ you have a legal responsibility to have a fire risk assessment in place. The assessment needs to be completed by a ‘Competent Person’.
How often do I need a Fire Risk Assessment ?
Whether you have an existing fire risk assessment in place or not we can help. It is essential that you keep the assessment under review and revise it when necessary.
All our fire risk assessments are carried out in accordance with the current legislation – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (based on PAS 79 template).
Our fire risk assessors are Members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM), NEBOSH certificated in Fire Safety and Risk Management or CPOA Diploma trained and Graduate and Members of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
For evidence of our certificate see our about us page.
What do I receive after the Assessors visit?
Following our fire risk assessor’s visit, a detailed report will be sent to you via our on-line software system called FCS Live. The report contains a comprehensive written report of observations, recommendations, photographic evidence, executive summary and action plan.
What happens if I don’t have a fire risk assessment?
You have a legal responsibility to make sure your business and employees are protected from the dangers of fire.
In cases where a risk exists and it is not being managed, fire authorities have a statutory duty to enforce compliance with the regulations and they may serve a notice on you. In serious cases, prosecutions and fines can be imposed and a worst-case scenario is imprisonment.
Don’t risk the lives and wellbeing of your employees, visitors or the emergency services that may need to attend your site in the event of a fire. Avoid the serious disruption to your operations and the penalties which could be imposed under the regulations if you fail to do so. Please call or email us today for advice!
Emergency Evacuation
Safe Fire Evacuation is a legal requirement
It is a legal requirement to ensure the safe evacuation of everyone, including impaired persons, in an emergency. There is a common misunderstanding that it is the responsibility of the emergency services to ensure the safe evacuation of persons from a building. This is simply not the case.
Who is responsible for fire evacuation?
Today’s legislation stipulates that it is no longer the duty of the Fire Service to make sure the workplace is safe. The duty now lies solely with the ‘responsible person’.
The responsibility clearly lies with the building management or service providers to ensure there is a suitable procedure in place to evacuate everyone. The ‘responsible person’ must nominate a sufficient number of ‘competent persons’ to implement procedures in the event of an emergency evacuation from the premises. This calls for a fire emergency evacuation plan to be in place.
What is a Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan?
A fire emergency evacuation plan is a legal requirement and normally takes the form of a written document, which includes the actions to be taken by all staff and nominated persons in the event of a fire and arrangements for calling the fire brigade.
For small premises this could take the form of a simple fire action sign posted in the locations were staff and relevant persons can read it and become familiar with its contents.
High risk or large premises will need a more detailed emergency evacuation plan which takes account of the findings in the fire risk assessment e.g. staff at significant risk and their location. In addition, notices giving clear and concise instructions of the routine to be followed in case of fire should be prominently displayed.
We have extensive experience in writing emergency evacuation plans for all types of premises in a variety of sectors.
Evacuation Chairs
If fire breaks out, and you have disabled people in your building, would you know how to react? It’s not acceptable to prevent disabled people from accessing your premises to avoid the problem altogether. And it’s not something you can leave to the emergency services to sort out when they arrive.
The responsible person, for example, the business owner or building manager, is legally required to ensure the safe escape of any disabled people during an emergency. Read on below to find out more about what the law says on this subject.
Do you have a Fire Evacuation plan?
Formulating an appropriate escape plan starts with your Fire Risk Assessment. This document will clarify what you’re expected to provide and make some recommendations on how to achieve it. We can help you with the Fire Risk Assessment. What’s more, we can help you put your plans in place. Evacuation equipment, such as evacuation chairs and rescue sheets will be needed. They are both safe and cost-effective ways of ensuring efficient evacuation of mobility-impaired people from buildings, on both upper and lower levels.
We are your complete one stop shop for fire safety. Along with our other services, we can supply evacuation chairs and rescue sheets directly to you. We also offer service and maintenance contracts to guarantee and prolong the life of your equipment. And should you require training, we run courses on how to use this specialist equipment during an emergency. We always recommend this to customers who are new to evacuation procedures and equipment; it pays to be prepared during stressful situations.
