FMJ.CO.UK HEALTH & SAFETY FOCUS
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT
Caroline Judd, Director, Turnkey Fire Services looks at the basics required when carrying out a Fire Risk
Assessment FRA and the range of fi re detection and warning systems availaEle to help protect your premises
JULY 2021 45
A fire risk assessment covers
all the essential aspects of
fire safety and will identify the
fire hazards within a building,
determining how a fire could start
and spread, and the people who
would be put at risk if there was a
fire. It will allow you to consider
how these risks can be reduced or
eliminated, and how the building
would be evacuated in the event of
an emergency. There are a number
of key areas to include in your
assessment.
MEANS OF ESCAPE
Everyone in your premises should be
able to escape to a place of ultimate
safety in a reasonable time. The
suitability of the means of escape is
crucial to the safety of the building’s
occupants.
EMERGENCY LIGHTING
Adequate lighting helps occupants
reach a place of safety in the event
of power failure during a fire.
Emergency lighting is also required
to illuminate the means of raising
the alarm and any fire-fighting
equipment.
FIRE DETECTION AND WARNING
The extent of a fire detection and
warning system will depend on the
nature and use of your premises. If a
fire could develop undetected then
a fire alarm system is required. One
of the key elements of your FRA will
be considering how a fire in your
building would be identified and
the alarm raised. For most buildings
this will mean having a suitable fire
alarm system, with automatic smoke
detection and sounders to alert all
building users in the event of fire.
You must ensure that everyone in
your building can raise an alert and
hear the alarm no matter where they
are in the building, giving special
consideration to those with physical
needs such as hearing impairment
or mobility issues. Detection should
be fitted to give the earliest possible
warning of fire, particularly in areas
where there is a high risk of fire
starting or spreading unnoticed.
FIRE HAZARDS
For a fire to start, three things are
needed: a source of ignition, fuel
and oxygen. If any one of these are
missing, a fire cannot start. These are
more likely to occur in manufacturing
sites but if you can avoid these
occurring together it will reduce the
chances of a fire occurring.
FIRE-FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
Firefighting equipment can reduce
the risk of a small fire - such as a fire
in a wastepaper bin - developing into
a large one. The amount and type
of portable extinguishers on your
premises must be suitable for the
risk.
MANAGEMENT
Good management of fire safety in
your premises is essential to ensure
that any fire safety matters that arise
are always e ectively addressed.
It is also your responsibility to
ensure that everyone within your
organisation, including any visitors,
understand their responsibilities.
Clear instructions should be provided
to all members of sta and visitors
(including contractors working on
site) regarding the emergency plan
and any controls required such as
permits for hot work. This should be
relevant and easily understood, and
should consider any shi patterns,
language, and learning di iculties.
Depending on the size of your
business and building type you
may need to appoint colleagues to
specific roles such as Fire Warden
or Fire Marshal. As the Responsible
Person it is your responsibility to
ensure that anyone with a defined
role has relevant training so that
they clearly understand what their
responsibilities are. You may also
want to consider training for the use
of portable extinguishers and other
firefighting equipment on site.
Finally, you should ensure that
your emergency plan is tested with
a fire drill on a regular basis. Fire
safety will require regular on-going
management, to ensure fire exits
remain clear and that combustible
materials are safely stored.
PERSONS AT RISK
As part of your fire risk assessment,
you need to identify those at risk
if there is a fire. Persons requiring
assistance to evacuate will need to
be appropriately considered and
catered for.
SIGNS AND NOTICES
Signs must be used, where necessary,
to help people identify escape routes,
find firefighting equipment and
emergency fire telephones.
COMPARTMENTATION
How a building has been constructed
plays a key part in protecting the
means of escape and preventing
unseen spread of fire within the
premises. Take a good look at your
building, how it is constructed and
how it is used.
WHAT NEXT?
Once the FRA has been prepared
and recorded you will be able to
identify the points where action is
required. These should be prioritised,
and each given a target completion
date. These actions may include
providing your sta with training,
installing fire safety equipment such
as fire extinguishers and signage, and
conducting regular fire drills.
The FRA shouldn’t just be consigned
to a dusty shelf once it is complete. It
requires regular review and update
to keep the document ‘live’. Some
certified Fire Risk Assessors will
provide an online document, making
it easier to post updates as each item
on your checklist is actioned.
So, you’ve met all your obligations
and achieved compliance for your
business, how do you ensure you stay
compliant?
Like an MOT for a car, regular
maintenance is essential to ensure
your fire safety systems remain fit for
purpose. As an employer you have
a legal responsibility to ensure that
maintenance is carried out correctly.
This can be assured by choosing a
company that has achieved third
party certification such as the BAFE
SP203 Scheme or BRE LPS 1014.
Certified companies are subject to
regular third-party audit to ensure
they meet the required technical and
quality standards, and their sta are
competent.
As well as the routine maintenance,
your FRA will promote weekly fire
alarm system tests. This check of the
system is made by testing a di erent
manual call point each week to make
sure that the alarms sound. If you
don’t feel confident to complete this
check yourself, you should ask your
fire alarm maintenance provider
for training or alternatively add the
weekly tests to their maintenance
regime.
FURTHER INFORMATION
(i) www.bafe.org.uk/bafe-fire-safetyservices
(ii) www.bafe.org.uk/become-baferegistered/
bafe-sp201-registration-process
/bafe-fire-safety-services
/bafe-sp201-registration-process
