What are Fire Risk Assessments?
Fire risk assessments
As the responsible person you must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.
You must keep a written record of your fire risk assessment if your business has 5 or more people.
Carrying out the assessment
- Identify the fire hazards.
- Identify people at risk
- Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
- Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.
Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.
The fire safety risk assessment chart gives more detailed information about these steps.
You’ll need to consider:
- emergency routes and exits
- fire detection and warning systems
- fire fighting equipment
- the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances
- an emergency fire evacuation plan
- the needs of vulnerable people, for example the young children or those with disabilities
- providing information to employees and other people on the premises
- staff fire safety training
Experience
It is essential that a potential assessor has up-to-date qualifications and experience of carrying out fire risk assessments. But neither guarantee competence. Does doing a job for a long time really mean that they’ve been doing it properly, and in this case, competently?
You should investigate the type of businesses and premises the potential assessor has been working on and collect references from previous clients whose needs most closely match your own.
Who’s responsible?
You’re responsible for fire safety in business or other non-domestic premises if you’re:
- an employer
- the owner
- the landlord
- an occupier
- anyone else with control of the premises, for example a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent or risk assessor
So do you have in place your Fire Risk Assessment? If not please get intouch with us to arrange for us to visits your house or Business here.
You can find out more on Fire Risk Assessments on the Government website here.