Fire Risk Assessment – What is it? Do I Need it?
What is a Fire Risk Assessment?
A fire risk assessment is an organised and methodical examination of your premises, the activities carried out there, and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises.
The assessment must focus on the safety of all ‘relevant persons’ in the event of a fire. It should pay particular attention to those at special risk, such as disabled people (mobility impairment or learning disability), those who you know have special needs and children.
It must include consideration of any dangerous substances liable to be on the premises.
The Aims of the Fire Risk Assessment are:
- To identify the fire hazards.
- To reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low as reasonably practicable.
- To decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your building if a fire does start.
Who Can Carry Out a Fire Risk Assessment?
A competent person should carry out assessments; in more complex premises, this may require a specialist, but generally, the assessor should possess suitable knowledge, training, experience, and relevant qualifications.
Is It Required By Law?
Yes. There are few exceptions.
If you are the ‘responsible person’ and you or your organisation employs five or more people, you must carry out a Fire Risk Assessment and record any significant findings.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a fire risk assessment is required in virtually all buildings in England and Wales, except for domestic dwellings, which are subject to inspection by the Fire Authorities for compliance.
Non-compliance may result in substantial fines and closure of part or all of your workplace/premises, and even imprisonment. The “responsible person(s)” must manage any fire risk on the premises; to do this, they need to carry out a fire risk assessment.
What is Involved?
A fire risk assessment involves a physical inspection of the building to determine the adequacy of existing fire precautions and identify any necessary additional measures.
However, equally important to the physical inspection is a review of fire safety management within the organisation and consideration of human factors – specifically, how people will respond to an emergency and whether they will take appropriate action.
Usually, the government-approved ‘five steps to risk assessment’ procedure would be followed.
This would mean that the assessor, whilst carrying out their inspection, would;
- Identify any hazards or risks that may be present.
- Decide who is at risk and how they may be harmed.
- Evaluate the risks and existing control measures to determine whether additional measures are necessary.
- Record any significant findings.
- Review and revise the assessment as necessary.
This information would then be documented and commonly used to devise an ‘action plan’, along with timescales for completing any remedial works that may be required.
