Fire Risk Assessments – why, when and by whom?
14th July 2016
It is the legal responsibility of an organisation to undertake risk assessments to identify actions which need to be taken in order to protect the building from fire. It must be kept under constant review and amended if any changes are made to the premises.
Here are the key facts that you need to know about fire risk assessments:
1. Current Legislation
Current legislation dictates that a Fire Risk Assessment of the workplace must be carried out and must be written down if there are 5 employees or more.
2. Regularly Reviewed
These generally take place on an annual basis or when there are any material changes.
3. Responsible Person
A person responsible for fire safety must be appointed in writing within the organisation.
4. Fire Risk Assessments
Fire Risk Assessments can be undertaken by a competent person either within the organisation or an external consultant.
5. A Competent Person
A competent person is determined by the responsible person/duty holder of the organisation and they must satisfy themselves that that person has adequate knowledge and training to carry out the task to an acceptable and sufficient standard.
6. Training Requirements
Training requirements of the person responsible for fire safety, fire risk assessments, fire wardens who need to be appointed and workforce training are determined by the fire risk assessment.
As a provider of fire safety training courses our aim is to make sure delegates have the information they need to carry out effective fire risk assessments and identify any potential fire risks, which can be rectified to provide an incident occurring.
Commercial buildings, non-domestic and multi-occupancy premises in England and Wales must undertake a 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment carried out under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Ensure that your building meets its legal requirements with relevant fire training from Vulcan including fire extinguisher and awareness, fire warden and fire risk assessment.
To ensure you know how to carry out fire risk assessments book one of our training courses here.
