As an employer, a manager or the "responsible person" YOU are required by law to take reasonable steps to ensure that your employees and / or relevant persons on or adjacent to the premises are safe from HARM in the event of a fire.
For further information & FAQ's please click here
For further information & FAQ's please click here
What happens in a fire risk assessment?
The fire risk assessor will conduct a thorough tour of your premises and will require access to all compartments including storage cupboards, evaluating the building condition, age, layout and building contents to identify potential fire hazards, ignition sources , combustible materials and means of escape in the case of fire. Other information will include who works in the building, the processes at work and where, current fire safety signage, protocols for fire prevention and management, on-site fire safety equipment, its condition / maintenance, existing fire safety training and drill records if you have them.
What happens after the assessor has visited?
All of the information that has been collated during the site visit is sifted and used to produce the fire risk assessment report. The report is clear and easy to understand, satisfies the Regulatory Reform ( Fire Safety) Order 2005 requirements and is acceptable for insurance purposes. The significant findings and recommendations including an action plan (where required) are supplied in an electronic document for your records to print as you require and a hard copy will be sent to you by post if requested.
Does the business premises have to be closed whilst the assessor conducts their visit?
No, the assessor will need on average 3 hours in your premises but you do not have to be closed during this period. The assessor will require access to all areas of the premises and the person with responsibility for ensuring that the building is fire risk assessed will be required to be on hand at the time of the visit. Please note that this timeline is an average and dependant on the size of the site and the complexity of the assessment.
Do I need to have a fire risk assessment every year?
The responsible person has responsibility of ensuring the assessment is still relevant and valid for the premises, however, there are no statuatory requirements to generate a 'new' fire risk assessment annually .
The 'FIRE SAFETY ORDER 2005' requires a review of the fire risk assessment if the following criteria are present:
- There have been material alterations to the premises
- There are any significant changes to the use or contents or layout of the building since the last fire risk assessment was carried out
- There is a significant change in fire risk precautions
- There is any other reason to suspect that the fire risk assessment is no longer valid
Recommended 'BEST PRACTICE' would be that the 'responsible person' review the fire risk assessment at least every quarter and that an annual review of the fire risk assessment should be conducted by a 'competent person'.