It has been estimated that fewer than 50% of UK companies have carried out a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) of their premises.
Each year people die or are seriously injured as a result of fires at work. Besides loss of life, fire costs UK business millions of pounds, from damage to property, loss of business, compensation claims and insurance premiums. It can be the end for small businesses.
Many fines can be avoided by taking adequate fire precautions within your premises. If a fire does break out, the effects can be minimized by having effective controls in your workplace.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) came into operation for England and Wales on 1st October 2006 and will assist the UK's 3.7 million businesses with their legal requirements to undertake a FRA. In Scotland, new fire safety regulations made under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 became statute in April 2006.
The RRFSO places the responsibility on all employers to carry out a FRA within their premises, including the effect a fire would have on all persons within those premises including staff, visitors and contractors. Passers-by also have to be considered in the FRA.
Each individual company will be responsible for their own fire safety. The employer must conduct a FRA regardless of the size of the risk; staff fire training, fire warden training and the provision of fire safety management plans, fire logbooks and maintenance of fire safety precautions. The identified 'Responsible Person' would therefore take full corporate liability.
The 'Responsible Person' could be one of the following:
· Employer with control of a workplace;
· Person with overall management of a building;
· Occupier of premises; or
· Owner of premises (e.g. empty buildings).
The RRFSO also places emphasis on business continuity and containing and preventing the spread of small fires
Extended scope of consideration now includes property safety, fire-fighter safety and the environment around the site as well as just protecting life. This means that allowing a building to be sacrificed is unacceptable due to the risk to neighbouring buildings and fire-fighters. The 'Responsible Person' would have a duty to protect the fire brigade and ensure that all competent staff complete fire training and fire warden training as appropriate.
If you own/operate licensed premises, e.g. public houses, clubs, hotels etc. these changes may be more immediate than for others. The new licensing authority will be the Local Authority and not the Police. All new licensees, prior to the issue/approval of a licence, will have to produce proof and documentation that they have written policies, procedures, risk assessments, management plans and training programmes governing for example fire, health and safety and asbestos safety.
An existing Fire Certificate is not a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) and will not satisfy the new fire safety legislation. As an employer of 5 or more employees you are required to conduct a FRA and you must record any significant findings
AJM Fire Risk Assessment Services can work with you and your company or organisation to ensure that you fully comply with this important legislation
Contact me now to discuss your requirements or to answer any questions you may have regarding existing
fire precaution legislation
Do you meet the new Fire Regulations?
Over the last seven years there has been a move away from Fire Authorities inspecting business premises. This has been as a result of two main reasons:
a) a lack of available manpower; and
b) advent of the Workplace Regulations which puts the onus of fire safety very much on the owner or the occupier.
If you currently have a Fire Certificate issued under the FPA71 and are, a premises which employs more than 10 persons above or below the ground floor or a premises which employs more than 20 persons in the building, or a hotel with sleeping accommodation for over 6 persons, from the first of October 2006, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will make Fire Certificates disappear.
In certain occasions, you will still have to make available your existing Fire Certificate for inspection by your local Fire and Rescue Service in conjunction with your FRA report.
In its place, you will be required to have carried out a FRA (in theory you should already have one). All premises, which employ 5 or more persons, will be required to have a valid and current FRA. Premises employing less than 5 persons will need to carry out a FRA, which need not to be written down, but all employees need to be aware of this.
You are required by legislation to keep your FRA report to hand in a safe and secure location for future reference and guidance where necessary.
You do not have to collect the FRA report when you have an actual fire in your premises as it acts only as management tool for you to use to control the fire risks within your premises.
It is likely that Fire Authorities will pick selective premises for inspection and react in a similar way to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE currently carry out spot checks and investigate premises that are believed to have contravened health and safety legislation.
Senior Fire Prevention Officers (FPO's) from your local Fire and Rescue Service are to be given more authority to gain entry to premises and remove samples after a fire.