Fire risk assessments should be carried out on a regular basis at every commercial and industrial site. This is a critical part of site safety and must be done by a responsible person so that fire risk can be assessed and appropriate action put into place to reduce this risk.
Current legislation states that if a business has five or more persons the risk assessment should be written down and records kept of when the assessment was last done.
There are five clear steps to carrying out a fire risk assessment:
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Assess the hazards – It’s important to think how a fire could start and what could burn if a fire took hold. Things to think about include heat sources, electrical equipment, hot processes and lighting.
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Who is at risk – If a fire takes hold everyone in the building is at risk, but it’s important to consider if some people are at greater risk due to the department or position in which they work. Also worth consideration are persons who may not be familiar with the premises such as visitors.
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Evaluate the risks above and act if necessary – When considering the risks found in steps 1 and 2, assess what can be done to reduce these risks. How can things be changed to reduce the risk? What is the plan to warn members of staff if a fire occurs? Who will call the fire service? Do fire detection systems need be introduced? How will members of staff escape if there is a fire?
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Record everything you’ve found and train members of staff – It’s important to keep detailed records of any fire risk assessment you have completed and what you’ve done to reduce the risk of fire. It’s a good idea to put a plan in place for regular assessments and make staff aware of this plan. It’s then important that all staff know what to do if a fire breaks out, where the escape routes are and where to assemble.
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Perform regular reviews – Risk assessments must be reviewed regularly as risks may change from time to time.
If you are unsure about the integrity of the fire alarm and fire detection systems you have on site, it might be a good idea to speak to a specialist fire safety company.