Why Do I Need a Fire Risk Assessment?
It might seem like a tedious hassle that you could really do without, however, a Fire Risk Assessment is actually an extremely important process.
Designed to minimise the probability of the event of a fire, a Fire Risk Assessment identifies the potential hazards and fire risks within a building. Moreover, a Fire Risk Assessment is in fact a legal requirement and if five or more people work at your premises, or your business has a licence under enactment in force, you’ll need your fire risk assessment to be a written record.
Thinking ahead and having the right preventative safety measures in place is likely to be a lot less stressful than having to deal with the aftermath of a dangerous fire, which your business will be unlikely to recover from in most cases. Without the correct measures in place, you may be subject to substantial fines or worse in the case of death.
Who should carry out my risk assessment?
Anyone can conduct a fire risk assessment, so long as they are deemed ‘competent’ however, a recent investigation uncovered that many business owners lack the skills or knowledge to complete a risk assessment unaided. Problems can arise when the person carrying out the fire risk assessment does not have the years of experience and ability to fully analyse the risks. The assessor may overspecify risks, which may cost you unnecessary money, or worse, risks or hazards might be missed.
We have the experience in-house to carry out risk assessments. By choosing Spectrum you can be assured that we have all the expert knowledge to carry out your fire risk assessments professionally, accurately and affordably.
What Will The Risk Assessment Involve?
- Identifying the fire hazards
- Identifying the people at risk.
- Evaluating and removing or reducing the risks
- Recording findings, preparing an emergency plan and providing training.
- Reviewing and updating the fire risk assessment regularly
We can either undertake a totally new risk assessment or review the existing Fire Risk Assessment currently in place in your business to ensure that hazards that have previously been highlighted have been addressed. We will check that all fire documentation is up to date, e.g. PAT testing record, fire procedures, evacuation procedures, fire drill and fire alarm testing logs, fire extinguisher servicing logs, floor zone plan
Fire Risk Assessment reviews should be carried out every year to ensure that changes in staffing, layout, operational considerations and alterations to your business are taken into account, especially in the current climate.
