Fire Safety Risk Assessments
A fire risk assessment is a structured look at a building and the way it is used, to find the fire hazards, work out who could be hurt, and decide what needs to change to keep everyone safe. It is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for almost every non-domestic premises in England and Wales, and for the shared parts of blocks of flats. The duty falls on the “Responsible Person”, usually the employer, owner, landlord or occupier, who has to carry it out, act on what it finds, and keep it up to date. It is not a box-ticking exercise. It is the document the whole fire strategy is built on.
When the RP does not have control of all parts of a building and it is shared with other people, they should be informed of significant risks discovered. The person who has control (landlord, owner, or another employer etc.) has an obligation to ensure that fire safety standards are followed in the areas they administer. This may necessitate communication and collaboration between parties to guarantee coordination of fire safety provisions, fighting methods, and evacuation procedures.
Knowledge Required For Fire Safety Risk Assessment
In order to properly complete a fire safety risk assessment, each RP must consider his or her own situation and capabilities. Nobody knows about the business/workplace better than the RP, but if the RP is not comfortable in his or her capacity to complete their fire safety risk assessment on their own, they can have a suitably qualified or experienced individual do it on their behalf.
Definition of a Fire Hazard
When assessing fire risks, it’s crucial to understand what a fire hazard is. A fire hazard is made up of two elements: the probability of a fire happening and the severity of the resulting damage. For example, a metal fabrication workshop has a high potential for catching on fire due to the welding and cutting equipment. However, if adequate housekeeping is maintained and non combustible goods are present, then a fire is unlikely to spread, thus the impact will be minor, and therefore the risk can be considered moderate or even minimal.
In the case of a cellulose paint spray booth, an occurrence is expected because of the chemicals used and the equipment needed for the procedure. The consequences are also dire since any fire would have a quick growth, making it a very high risk.
Various techniques can be utilised to minimize these hazards, including maintaining a clean environment, particularly developed electrical equipment, and installation of equipment away from the danger and use of compressed gases in the procedures.
The Objective of a Fire Risk Assessment
The fire safety order’s objectives are to use a risk-based and adaptable approach. As a result, in order to safeguard the safety of workers, the RP must:
- To the greatest extent feasible, identify and eliminate or reduce the risk of fire hazards causing injury as low as is reasonably practical.
- Determine what fire safety precautions and management rules are necessary to keep people safe in the event of a fire.
This should be a simple process without much cost if the premises are constructed and maintained in accordance with building regulations and are of average risk or lower. However, if the premises do not comply with the building regulations, further direction and action will be required, depending on the degree of difficulty, size, occupancy, and potential risks.
Identifying Fire Hazards in Fire Safety Risk Assessment
Knowing the most common causes of fire can help you determine potential fires. A source of ignition is required for a fire to develop (heat or flame), as well as a possible source of fuel and oxygen. If the sources of ignition, fuel, and oxygen in your workplace are kept separate, removed, stopped, or reduced, the danger to people and your business will be reduced.
To do so, you must first identify possible sources of ignition, fuel, and oxygen in your organisation.
Heat and flame are two common sources of ignition in workplaces (heating or process, cooking equipment, open flames). Other heat/ignition possibilities include chemical reactions and electrical equipment.
Record Fire Safety Risk Assessment Information
When conducting a fire safety risk assessment for a facility, findings must be recorded in some cases, including any actions taken or actions still needed. On request, the enforcing authority should be allowed access to the record. When there are five or more workers (whether on-site or not) employed at the location, or when the premises are subject to licensing or registration, or when an ‘Alterations Notice’ has been published requiring that work be done, fire safety law requires information to be recorded.
The 5 Steps of a Fire Risk Assessment
A UK fire risk assessment follows a five-step model, based on government guidance and the PAS 79 method:
- Identify the fire hazards. Find the sources of ignition (heat, flames, electrical equipment), the sources of fuel (paper, packaging, flammable liquids), and the oxygen that would feed a fire.
- Identify the people at risk. Think about everyone who uses the building, staff, visitors and contractors, and anyone more at risk than most, such as people who sleep there, lone workers, or anyone who would need help to get out.
- Evaluate, remove or reduce the risk. Weigh up how likely a fire is and how bad it would be, then cut the hazards and put the right measures in place: detection, warning, escape routes, and passive fire protection like fire doors, compartmentation and fire stopping.
- Record, plan, inform, instruct and train. Write down the significant findings, put an emergency plan together, and make sure staff know the risks and what to do.
- Review and update. Keep it under review, and go back to it whenever the building, how it is used, or who uses it changes in any real way.
Steps 3 and 5 are usually where we come in: installing and remediating the passive fire protection an assessment flags, then re-evidencing it so the next review holds up.
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Fire Risk Assessment FAQs
What is a fire risk assessment?
A structured review of a building to find the fire hazards, the people at risk, and the measures needed to remove or reduce that risk. It is the foundation the whole fire safety strategy sits on.
Is a fire risk assessment a legal requirement in the UK?
Yes. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person has to make sure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is done for virtually all non-domestic premises and the shared parts of blocks of flats.
Who is responsible for carrying out a fire risk assessment?
The Responsible Person, typically the employer, owner, landlord, occupier or managing agent. They can do it themselves if they are competent to, or bring in a suitably qualified assessor to do it for them.
Does a fire risk assessment have to be written down?
The significant findings have to be recorded where five or more people are employed, where the premises are licensed, or where an alterations notice is in force. In practice, it is worth writing the whole thing down whatever the size of the building.
How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
Regularly, and always after any real change to the building, how it is used, or the people in it. Once a year is the widely accepted rule of thumb, sooner after a refurbishment, a fire, or a change of occupancy.
What happens if fire safety defects are found?
Anything the assessment flags, breached compartmentation, missing fire stopping, failed fire doors, should be prioritised, put right promptly, and recorded. That remediation is exactly the kind of work we are brought in to deliver.