Fire Safety Risk Assessment and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

If you are responsible for the fire safety, compliance and, in particular, for fire safety risk asessment, then read on:

Who will the Fire Service want to speak to if they visit my premises?

If the Fire Service visits your premises, they will want to know who the Responsible Person is for the premises and will want to speak to that person. It is, therefore, essential that you have considered this point and have identified the Responsible Person and that that person is aware of their roles and responsibilities in regard to Fire Safety.

How do I do a Fire Risk Assessment?

Many attempts have been made to simplify general risk assessments and fire risk assessments.

Fire risk assessments are generally split into five operations:

1. Identify fire hazards
2. Identify people at risk
3. Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect from risk
4. Record, plan, inform, instruct, and train
5. Review the fire risk assessment regularly

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1. Identify fire hazards - Give consideration to the nature, operations and undertaking of the business and identify:
   • sources of ignition (such as naked flames, hot surfaces, smoking materials, etc)
   • sources of fuel (packaging materials, paper, solvents, paints, oils, etc)
   • sources of oxygen (consider bottled oxygen, the effects of ventilations systems, etc)

    

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2. Identify people at risk
   • people in and around the premises (employees, visitors, customers, contractors members of the public etc)
   • people who are especially at risk (including children, elderly persons, infirm people, people with various disabilities)

    

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3. Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect from risk
   • Evaluate the risk of a fire starting
   • Evaluate the risk to people from a fire
   • Remove or reduce fire hazards
     • consider replacement of flammable materials with non-flammable or with less flammable materials or reduce the stock levels of flammable materials
     • segregate the storage of flammable and combustible materials from sources of ignition
     • enforce the site (No) Smoking Policy
   • Remove or reduce the risks to people from a fire
   • Protect people by providing fire precautions
     • provide a suitable fire alarm system
     • provide suitable early warning of fire, such as by automatic smoke detection, heat detection or heat rise detection
     • provide suitable segregation of the premises to prevent (or restrict) the spread of smoke and fire – suitable materials of construction, fire doors, fire curtains, fire resisting glazing, etc
     • provide and protect suitable fire escape routes within the premises that lead out of the premises to a place of safety
     • provide suitable escape route (directional) signage
     • provide suitable emergency (or escape) lighting
     • provide suitable fire fighting equipment (such as portable fire extinguishers, deluge systems, etc)
     • maintain the fire alarm system, automatic smoke detection, emergency lighting, fire fighting equipment, etc
     • undertake active monitoring of the premises and operations – ensure that everything is working in the way that it should: that fire extinguishers are in place, fire doors are not wedged open, combustible materials are not being allowed to accumulate in unauthorised areas, flammable liquids are returned to suitable storage facilities after use, etc

    

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4. Record, plan, inform, instruct, and train
   • Record any major findings and action you have taken
     • the risk assessment is a thought process, but needs to be committed to writing
     • the major finding of the risk assessment must be made available to employees and to other relevant Responsible Persons and to the Fire Service
   • Discuss and work with other responsible people
   • Prepare an emergency plan - give consideration to:
     • how the fire alarm will be raised
     • how people will be evacuated (safely) from all parts of the premises
     • where the evacuation assembly points will be
     • who will call out the fire service
     • carrying out suitable and sufficient practice of the emergency procedures (fire drills) and the effects that a real fire might have (such as cutting off regularly used or preferred fire escape routes)
     • consider the use of fire wardens
   • Inform and instruct relevant people
   • Provide training
     • Fire safety training must be carried out at least twice a year (under the RRO)

    

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5. Review
   • Review your fire-risk assessment regularly and keep it up to date (review the levels of combustible materials,; changes in storage arrangements for solvents – such as small drums to IBCs, etc)
   • Make changes to the risk assessment where necessary (allowing for changes in shift patterns; numbers of employees, etc)

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Can I use a Consultant to do (or assist with) the Fire Risk Assessment?

If in doubt as to how to go about the process or about the validity of the existing Fire Risk Assessment, then consult with a competent person, such as a Health and Safety Consultant. Ensure that the consultant is experienced in dealing with environments such as yours.

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