What is the Process of Carrying Out A Fire Risk Assessment?

A fire is the most serious incident at any business place. It is equally dangerous for other commercial, industrial, and residential buildings. It causes huge financial losses for businesses. The impact of such losses is sometimes so damaging that they never come out of it and are forced to wrap it up.

The fire not only caused financial losses but it had even more serious repercussions in the shape of injuries and deaths of several people. In the UK, more than 275 people lost their lives in just one year due to fire accidents at workplaces. A careful study of such fire incidents reflects that most of the time, it happens when fire safety regulations are violated.

The study further reveals that implementing fire safety measures has been quite helpful in reducing the chances of fire eruption at many business and commercial places. The most relevant part of the fire safety regulations is conducting a Fire Risk Assessment at all commercial, industrial, and business premises.

Fire Risk Assessment – An introduction

Every commercial or industrial entity follows a pre-determined safety plan, with safety against fire also being a part of it. The fire risk assessment is the most important part of every fire safety plan in the workplace, being a legal requirement.

Fire risk assessment is a comprehensive inspection of the workplace to identify the risks and fire hazards and how to remove them. It also includes identifying and removing such materials that may cause the spreading of fire. The third part of the fire risk assessment is to examine the fire safety devices and their effectiveness in preventing a fire disaster. It also includes a survey of emergency exit plans.

Fire Risk Assessment - Legal Requirement  

Fire Risk Assessment has been made compulsory for every commercial building under the prevailing fire safety regulations. The historical background of fire safety regulations dates back to the early 1970s, with the implementation of the "Fire Precautions Act 1971".

Later, UK authorities introduced "Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999”. The most recent law in this respect was introduced in 2005, known as “The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005”, which was implemented on the 1st of October 2006.

Under the provisions of “The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005”, commonly referred to as Fire Safety Order (FSO), all commercial properties are required to be regularly examined for fire risk assessment. The public places of a residential building also come under the ambit of this order. As per this regulation, the fire risk assessment needs to be done by a competent person to conduct such an assessment. However, the order is silent about the meanings of the competency.

The Competent Person

The relevant order is silent about the term “competent person.” Perhaps it is due to the diversity of scope of the assessment. Based on the size of the property and the quantum of risks involved, the competence or expertise of the person may differ. Assessment of fire risk at a small workplace may be a simple task, but for large commercial or industrial units, the task is quite different and may require higher expertise and competence. However, it is understood that the person conducting the fire risk assessment must have at least the basic knowledge and experience in Health and Safety Risk Assessments.

The Responsible Person

The law further requires that it is the duty of the "responsible person" to conduct a fire risk assessment. The responsible person may be the owner, landlord, property manager, or any other person nominated by them. He can be one of the employees, as well.

However, the law does not specify the qualification or experience of the responsible person. Again, the reason seems to be the same. It depends on the size of the property and the nature of the business or commercial activity. A large building may require a person to have more experience and knowledge about risk assessment, as compared to small workplaces, where risk assessment may be a simple task.

The Process of Carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment

Fire risk assessment is a comprehensive examination of a residential premises' entire workplace or commercial or public parts. Fire risk assessment includes the following 5 basic steps:

1. Identify the fire hazards and risks
2. Identify the people at risk
3. Evaluate the risks to reduce or control them
4. Document and record the findings and suggestions
5. Review and assess the fire risks regularly

But it is not as simple as it looks to be. So, let's explain these steps involved in the entire fire risk assessment process.

• Identify the Fire Hazards and Risks

The first thing that a responsible person has to do is to identify the fire hazards on the premises. A fire hazard may increase the chances of a fire eruption. Fire hazards in a workplace or any other building may include ignition sources such as an electric spark, a heater, or other electrical appliances. The second category of fire hazards is the fueling sources that help spread the fire, such as paper, plastic, wood, or gasoline.

The assessor also needs to consider the main catalyst of a fire, Oxygen. All these factors must be considered while identifying the fire hazards. The emphasis should be on reducing the impact of these fire hazards.

• Identify the People at Risk

The second important factor of a fire risk assessment is identifying people who are or might be at risk of being affected by the fire. This may differ on a case-to-case basis. However, generally, elderly people or children might be the most vulnerable in case of a fire incident. Similarly, people with any type of disability are at more risk.

The visitors, who might not know the escape routes in case of a fire, are even more susceptible. Likewise, there may be some employees who work in an environment that is prone to fire eruption. Such people might be at more risk than others. Hence, the fire risk assessor must remember all these people when conducting a risk assessment.

• Evaluate the Risks to Reduce or Control Them

Once the basic work of identification of hazards and people and risk is done, the next step is to evaluate the risks and suggest ways to minimize the chances of a fire. Remember, you cannot expect zero risk under any circumstances, so the emphasis should be on reducing the risks to the minimum possible level.

Remove or reduce the fire hazards and plan ways to save the people identified as "at risk." Installation and effective monitoring of fire safety gadgets is also a part of improving the fire safety level of your premises. Evaluate the risks by categorizing them into Low, Medium, and high-risk factors and then implement a workable solution.

• Document and Record the Findings and Suggestions

After completing the fire risk assessment, you must record your findings, suggestions, and plans in a document. It should include the identified fire hazards, the identified people at risk, your suggestions on reducing or removing these hazards, and your plans for implementing these suggestions. It is also a legal requirement for workplaces having more than five employees. The second legal requirement is to keep this record for at least two years.

• Review and Assess the Fire Risks Regularly

Fire risk assessment is not a one-time exercise. You need to review it periodically, at least once a year. But it is more advisable to do it repeatedly after short intervals. It is necessary because the circumstances may change, and employees and their roles may also change frequently. Every such change will impact the fire safety requirements; hence, a periodic review is necessary.

IMPORTANT

While these are the five basics of the fire risk assessment, the assessor has to do some extra tasks, as explained here.

1. Take Action to Remove or Lower the Risks

This step is even more crucial. Take appropriate measures to minimize fire risks and implement the safety plan effectively. Ensure that all the suggested measures are in place and workable in case of a fire incident.

1. Check the Fire Safety Devices

Checking fire safety devices is also an important step in fire risk assessment. Fire safety gadgets, such as alarms, must be tested for effective response. Similarly, smoke detectors and fire extinguishers also need to be tested regularly.

1. Train the People

Impart basic training to the employees on how to avoid fire hazards and react in case of a fire incident. Such training sessions should be repeated more often so the employees can understand what is expected.

1. Redo the Fire Risk Assessment

While it is necessary to review the fire risk assessment at least once a year or, if possible, more often than once a year, a complete and comprehensive new fire risk assessment must be done every three or four years for the low-rise buildings you are required to redo the fire risk assessment after four years, the fire risk assessment has to be comprehensively redone for buildings higher than three levels after three years.

Conclusion

Fire is one of the most serious risks that any organization may face. It causes huge losses and even results in casualties. So, it is the duty of the business owners and property managers, both moral and legal, to ensure the safety of the people and property against any such risk. The best way of doing so is to ensure regular and timely inspection of the entire property for safety against possible fire risks, commonly referred to as a Fire Risk Assessment.

As explained above, the responsible person must follow the legal requirements to complete the fire risk assessment process. This will reduce the chances of a fire incident. However, the firefighting plans and emergency exit strategy must also be in place as a part of the fire risk assessment to minimize the impact of a fire if it happens at any time.