Risk Assessment For Fire – How To Carry Out Fire Safety Risk Assessments and Why You Have To

Fire Risk Assessments are now a legalknowledge of fire safety requirements.
requirement for all businesses in the UK.  The lawFor smaller, office type environments, most
changed in 2006 and all employers are nowpeople will carry out their fire risk assessments
obliged to assess the risk of fire in their workin-house.  The system to follow is a relatively
premises and put in place measures to managesimple five step process.  The steps involved are
and minimise any risks identified.  This is anidentifying potential hazards, identifying the people
important change which sends a clear message towho are at risk from these hazards, evaluating
employers that they are the ones who arethe risks, and then recording your findings.  The
responsible for the safety of their employees infifth step is to review the fire risk assessment at
terms of fire risks.  Part of the duties of theregular intervals.
local fire authorities is now to check and makeThere is clearly a lot more involved in the details
sure that all employers have complied with thisof each step of this process, but free advice and
legislation.  That usually involves asking to see aguidance is available online to help with this.  The
copy of the fire risk assessment.important thing is to act on the findings of the
Legislation is already in place covering the need toassessment.  If the process identifies a risk with
carry out risk assessments generally in thepotentially severe consequences and a reasonably
workplace, and the fire risk assessment is basedhigh likelihood of it happening, you clearly need to
on the same principles.  There is a recommendedtake steps to manage that risk.  As well as
process to go through, but the purpose, as withrecording the findings of your FRA, you are also
all risk assessments, is to identify all possible risksobliged by law to pass on the details of these
to people and take steps to reduce the chancesfindings to your staff.  You must also ensure
of those things happening.that all your staff are properly trained in what
No formal training or qualification is required inaction to take in an emergency, use of fire
order to carry out a Fire risk assessment; thefighting equipment, etc.
legislation governing them states that they shouldFor many businesses, the work involved in
be undertaken by a ‘competentcarrying out fire risk assessments and
person’.  It is perfectly reasonable to carryimplementing the associated action points can be
out your own assessment, provided you have aa daunting prospect.  Sometimes this is simply
reasonable knowledge of fire safety and adue to the lack of time and often it is due to not
relatively straightforward workplace.  It wouldhaving the appropriate expertise within the
not be recommended for assessing a very large,business to be sure of undertaking the work
complex or specialist premises unless the personcompetently.
doing so does have a strong background