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Fire risk assessments are a legal requirement for all businesses to undertake in their premises.
Fundamentally, fire risk assessments are to check for the fire risk in a building in order to protect life and make sure people can get out of the building safely in the event of an emergency.
Fire risk assessments involve a fire risk assessor walking around the building to check exit routes, exit doors, and that the numerous different ways of escape or rescue are unobstructed, clearly marked and lit with emergency lighting.
As a minimum, a fire risk assessment should be updated annually or each time a significant change to the premises or organisation is made and regularly reviewed as part of ongoing fire safety management.
Things to consider in a fire risk assessment
It is important to look at all aspects of the building in relation to fire safety. Firstly, the construction of the building. How safe is the construction of the building? What materials have been used? Are there plenty of exit doors?
Next, who uses the building and what do they use it for? Are the occupants of the building awake or asleep? Are they familiar with the building? How can we best get them out of the building, at speed and with potential obstacles.
This involves asking questions to see if anyone has any additional needs. There could be people who are disabled, deaf or blind and if that is the case, does the building have suitable provision to get those people out in the event of an emergency?
It is also vital to consider children, elderly or lone workers in a fire risk assessment as they made need additional alerts or assistance.
Fire prevention
During a fire risk assessment, it is important to look at fire prevention within the building. For example, there should be measures in place to separate ignition sources from combustibles, to prevent fires happening in the first place.
Suitable fire extinguishers should be available and accessible to all.
A fire risk assessor would also check all fire detection systems in the building – fire alarms and smoke detectors – which come in a variety of forms. Each detection system is assessed against the type of building, the uses of the building to make sure that the detection and where the detection is suits the use of the building and the evacuation strategy of the building.
That evacuation strategy should also be tested regularly in fire drills.
Why hire a professional fire risk assessor?
Choosing a qualified, experienced fire risk assessor could literally mean the difference between life and death. Having the training and qualifications to ensure legal compliance in a fire risk assessment means that person is not merely “competent” but can identify complex risks which will ultimately protect life.
To find out more about employing a fire risk assessor from Acorn Safety Services, call us today on 01604 930380.
