Fire poses a major threat to all businesses and should be of prime importance to any managing director or boss. The consequences of a fire can be far reaching and can even leave a business in the same state as the burnt out premises; ruined. If operating in a single premises the effects can be even more devastating, hence the importance of fire risk assessment procedures are an essential component of any health and safety protocol.
For companies who house supplies and other integral business elements in their premises the effects of fire can be even more damaging. In terms of continuity of supply and relationships with buyers, the effects can sometimes never be recouped. An efficient assessment of the risk that fire may pose to your business should be regularly carried out to ensure not only the safety of your staff members, but also to protect your business. An employer's own conscience should force them to undertake a thorough fire risk assessment, although legal requirements for employers are extensive in ensuring staff safety.
The process of fire risk assessment involves identifying the various sources of ignition that may be present in your business. Not only should an assessment identify the ignition points but also the levels of combustible materials in a workplace. Such materials include soft furnishings and elements of the structure such as a timber frame or desks. The purpose of a fire risk assessment is to minimise the potential for fire in your business premises.
The risk assessment should involve the identification and if possible the elimination of hazards in the workplace. If these elements cannot be eliminated from the day to day uses of the business, fire risk assessment should advise ways in which the hazards can be dealt with and avoided. Usually safe working methods can be developed that put hazardous practises as far away from combustible materials and ignition sources as possible. This may mean that your risk assessment will take a few days to get a true understanding of the patterns of work in your business.
Also, as part of the assessment, the people who work in your premises will be examined. This may include assessing the risk staff members, customers and other members of the public that may have access to your premises. The number of people present in the premises in the event of a fire will also be estimated by the assessment of visitor numbers over a few days.
As a result of this information escape routes and fire safety protocol will be part of the risk assessment to ensure evacuation is carried out efficiently and effectively in the event of fire. As well a the means of escape, fire fighting apparatus and equipment will be assessed as well as the number of people who are able to operate this apparatus in an emergency. Considerations of age, health and agility in terms of the people present on the premises will also be part of the risk assessment. These factors are important especially when considering different working environments such as nurseries, factories or care homes. As a result action plans can vary immensely.
The risk assessment report will ensure that there are sufficient staff members present to cope with a fire should it break out. Also the action plan should focus upon minimising the risk of fire in the first place, by understanding the causes of fire and elements involved, prevention should be more effective. Assessment will also include an appraisal of the current action plan and the working order of the various fire fighting equipment in a business premises.
Fire is a risk that worries most employers, an assessment can inform bosses where they are with ensuring the safety of there staff and how much they need to do to increase this safety. As a legal requirement, following the recommendations of the report is a vital legislative requirement.
Since 2006 it has been a vital process in any business to undergo a regular fire risk assessment of the premises; the purpose of this task being the recognition of hazards and how to control these hazards. In the past the methods of fire prevention in the business world have been different; this was in the form of a fire certificate that defined whether the premises was safe or not. Today however a far more proactive methodology of increasing safety is in existence. The practical result is that the responsible person, for instance a manager or owner now has the job of ensuring a regular risk assessment process is followed.
For those managers who already have a fire certificate the feeling that the need for an assessment is negated is a common misconception. An assessment is now demanded legally, even for businesses that may run exactly the same operation prior to the release of these regulations. The result may be that the risk assessment only has limited findings, but this does not discount the importance of the process. When it comes to the safety of staff members however there is no price too high, whether this means the hassle of undergoing an assessment for assessment's sake is irrespective; it is always worthwhile.
The risk assessment process has certain key elements that should be adhered to if the results are to be worthwhile. The ultimate objective is naturally to discover where in a business the chances of a fire are greatest and how workers can be protected from these risks. The assessor, be they an external party or a suitably trained person within the business typically works with existing health and safety legislation in order to conduct the assessment, using this legislation to find suitable outcomes for the assessment. The most important consideration for business managers is to prepare thoroughly for the process; it can be quite disrupting so ensuring that operations are not overly affected is a major concern.
Normally the process follows a five step methodology. The first of these steps being recognising the level of risk within the business premises, this will include identifying specific hazards that can cause fire. The second element is an investigation of the employees that will be placed in particular danger should a fire break out. The third step is to look at existing fire prevention and safety procedures and assessing where these can be improved. Fourthly is the recording and noting of all recommendations the assessment finds and finally is the creation of a schedule that ensures the recommendations are put in place over a reasonable period of time.
Understandably it is the business manager or owner who typically has the greatest knowledge of how operations are conducted and how these operations are susceptible to the dangers of fire. Subsequently when the process of a risk assessment is taking place it is important for this person to include their input as much as possible, passing on their understanding of operational activities to the assessor. In addition to the manager or owner, other members of staff, specifically those working in the most dangerous environments should be consulted on how to improve safety procedures within their sphere. All staff members can make valuable contributions to the process and hence should be involved at all stages.
It is hoped that this article has given business owners and managers an understanding of the legal and moral obligation of undergoing a regular fire risk assessment. It is not just an issue of liability but is instead about improving the working environment for all.
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