Fire Safety
Legal Duties
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, came into force in October, 2006. It demands that a specific fire safety risk assessment is undertaken for every workplace, bringing fire safety into line with other health and safety legislation.
Guidance
Fire safety is considered to be one of the most critical aspects of health and safety in the workplace, since inadequate fire precautions can result in fatalities, serious injury and damage to property on a wide scale.
The order applies to virtually all premises and covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space.
For example, it applies to:
Offices and shops;
Premises that provide care, including care homes and hospitals;
Community halls, places of worship and other community premises;
The shared areas of properties several households live in (housing laws may also apply);
Pubs and restaurants;
Schools and sports centres;
Tents and marquees;
Hotels and hostels; and
Factories and warehouses.
It does not apply to:
People’s private homes, including individual flats in a block or house.
There now exists a duty on the responsible person to ensure the safety of employees and non-employees. The responsible person is the employer plus any other person who may have control of any part of the premises, e.g. the occupier or owner. There can be more than one responsible person, but they must co-operate and co-ordinate with each other. Competence is an important factor in carrying out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Persons can be considered competent where they have sufficient technical training and experience or knowledge to understand the requirement of fire safety procedures and to undertake efficiently the measures required to meet the legal standards. The competent person(s) should therefore:
Understand the relevant fire safety legislation
Have appropriate education, training, knowledge and experience in the principles of fire safety
Have an understanding of fire development and the behaviour of people in fire
Understand the fire hazards, fire risks and relevant factors of the occupants at special risk within the buildings of the type in question
Have appropriate training and/or experience in carrying out fire risk assessments. Fire risk assessments are about identifying the effect of fire on a person’s safety, the environment and the property. The risk assessment will help the responsible person to ensure that fire safety procedures, fire prevention measures, and fire precautions (plans, systems and equipment) are all in place and working properly, as well as identifying any issues that need attention.
Next Step
Achieving Compliance
Employers and those in charge of buildings have legal duties in respect of fire safety to:
Fire Risk Assessment
Fire risk assessments should be carried out with a view to identifying anything that might contribute to a fire starting, persons who might be at risk and the sufficiency of fire warning and evacuation arrangements. Significant findings from the assessment should be recorded and any actions needed to improve fire safety should be prioritised for implementation.
Assessment should be reviewed on a regular basis, particularly when there are significant changes that might affect the nature or extent of the risks, e.g. change in use of the premises.
An emergency plan must also be produced, which should cover action to be taken in the event of a fire, the evacuation process and arrangements for calling the Fire Brigade. All employees should be familiar with the plan, as should others who may be affected.
A responsible person should be appointed to manage fire safety and fire wardens should be appointed to take control in the event of a fire alert.
Training
Employees need regular training in line with the emergency plan, including how to operate the fire warning system, how to evacuate the building safely and where to assemble. Some people will also need training in the use of fire fighting equipment and how to summon the fire brigade.
In addition, all employees should take part in testing the emergency plan, including regular evacuation drills
Additional Services
EDP consists of the the following divisions:-
Contact Us - for full HSE Compliance and Risk Management in the workplace.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, came into force in October, 2006. It demands that a specific fire safety risk assessment is undertaken for every workplace, bringing fire safety into line with other health and safety legislation.
Guidance
Fire safety is considered to be one of the most critical aspects of health and safety in the workplace, since inadequate fire precautions can result in fatalities, serious injury and damage to property on a wide scale.
The order applies to virtually all premises and covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space.
For example, it applies to:
The shared areas of properties several households live in (housing laws may also apply);
It does not apply to:
There now exists a duty on the responsible person to ensure the safety of employees and non-employees. The responsible person is the employer plus any other person who may have control of any part of the premises, e.g. the occupier or owner. There can be more than one responsible person, but they must co-operate and co-ordinate with each other. Competence is an important factor in carrying out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Persons can be considered competent where they have sufficient technical training and experience or knowledge to understand the requirement of fire safety procedures and to undertake efficiently the measures required to meet the legal standards. The competent person(s) should therefore:
Next Step
Achieving Compliance
Employers and those in charge of buildings have legal duties in respect of fire safety to:
- Carry out a fire risk assessment
- Identify all persons who might be at risk
- Set up appropriate fire safety precautions
- Provide information and training about the fire precautions
- Nominate people for the roles required by the emergency plan
- Consult with employees
- In shared workplaces, inform other employers of any significant risks identified in the assessment and cooperate on fire safety issues
- Establish the means for contacting the emergency services
Fire Risk Assessment
Fire risk assessments should be carried out with a view to identifying anything that might contribute to a fire starting, persons who might be at risk and the sufficiency of fire warning and evacuation arrangements. Significant findings from the assessment should be recorded and any actions needed to improve fire safety should be prioritised for implementation.
Assessment should be reviewed on a regular basis, particularly when there are significant changes that might affect the nature or extent of the risks, e.g. change in use of the premises.
An emergency plan must also be produced, which should cover action to be taken in the event of a fire, the evacuation process and arrangements for calling the Fire Brigade. All employees should be familiar with the plan, as should others who may be affected.
A responsible person should be appointed to manage fire safety and fire wardens should be appointed to take control in the event of a fire alert.
Training
Employees need regular training in line with the emergency plan, including how to operate the fire warning system, how to evacuate the building safely and where to assemble. Some people will also need training in the use of fire fighting equipment and how to summon the fire brigade.
In addition, all employees should take part in testing the emergency plan, including regular evacuation drills
Additional Services
EDP consists of the the following divisions:-
Contact Us - for full HSE Compliance and Risk Management in the workplace.