Fire Risk Assessments

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The Fire Risk Assessment involves identifying the potential sources of ignition in the workplace and also the combustible materials that are present as part of the business operations, the furnishings and the structure in which the business is carried out. The aim is to reduce these to a minimum. Opportunities may be taken to eliminate, substitute, avoid or transfer the various hazards that have been identified. Once this has been done the residual sources of ignition and combustible materials that form the core of the day-to-day patterns of work must be separated as far as is practicable.

The people who use the premises must also be considered. These include staff, customers, visitors or members of the public. The means of escape, equipment for detecting and giving warning in case of fire and fire fighting equipment must be appropriate for the premises and the numbers of people present. Consideration also has to be given to the age, agility and health of the people who may be on the premises. Different factors have to be considered, for example, for hotels, residential care homes, all other premises with sleeping accommodation, remote warehouses and any potential large evacuation problems such as cinemas and theatres.

Primarily, a fire risk assessment will ensure that satisfactory escape routes are identified and kept available for use, that suitable arrangements are made to detect and give warning of a fire, and that appropriate fire-fighting equipment is strategically located around the premise. The Workplace Regulations also require that:

• Employers make sure that employees are trained in appropriate action to take when a fire breaks out, or if one is suspected,
• Employees know how to use the fire fighting equipment provided,
• Adequate records are kept of all staff training, and
• Records are kept of tests and maintenance of fire equipment.

For fire risk assessments there are five steps that need to be taken:

1. Identify potential fire hazards in the workplace.
2. Decide who (employees, visitors etc.) might be in danger, in the event of a fire, in the workplace or while trying to escape from it, and note their location.
3. Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide whether your existing fire precautions are adequate or whether more should be done to get rid of the hazard or to control the risks (by improving the fire precautions for example).
4. Record your findings and details of the action you took as a result. Tell your employees about your findings.
5. Keep the assessment under review and revise it when necessary.

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, the serious disruption to your operations, or indeed experience the penalties which could be imposed under the Regulations if you fail to do so!

Classic Fire will inspect your premises and review your fire safety provisions including:

• Means of Escape In Case of Fire
• Fire Alarm
• Emergency Lighting
• Fire-Fighting Equipment
• Fire Evacuation Procedures
• Fire Separation
• Fire Protection
• Means of Detecting Fire and Raising the Alarm
• Fire Signage
• Disabled Access & Means of Disability Escape Provisions
• Flammable Storage Facilities
• Identifying Combustible Materials and Sources of Ignition
• Fire Records
• Fire Training.