The Importance of a Fire Risk Assessment

As a business owner or an owner of a commercial building, it is important to ensure it is as safe as possible, and this means protecting your building against the dangers of a fire. A fire in the workplace can not only have a serious financial impact on your business and cause significant damage to your building, but it can also lead to severe injuries and even death. Often, companies don’t recover from a fire, so it’s important to ensure your building is safe and protected from the dangers of a fire.

No matter what type of business you operate - whether you’re an employer, landlord or manager - you have a legal duty and responsibility to ensure fire safety in your premises. If your business has five or more people employed, it is a legal requirement to have a written fire risk assessment. Failure to have a fire risk assessment in place could lead to serious penalties or even imprisonment.

In this article, we discuss the importance of a fire risk assessment and why every business needs one. While accidents can’t always be avoided, you should do everything you can as a business owner to prevent them from occurring - and this means identifying potential hazards and risks.

What is a fire risk assessment?

A fire risk assessment is a vital step in producing a quality fire safety policy in your building. It is essentially a scheduled investigation of your premises and is carried out to identify all fire risks and hazards, considering the existing fire safety measures and controls in place. The aim of a fire risk assessment is to ensure you have the right fire safety equipment installed in the right places, to protect your employees and your building.

A fire risk assessment is put in place to reduce the probability of a fire breaking out in your building and to highlight all fire risks on the premises. Put simply, a fire risk assessment aims to:

● Identify potential fire risks and hazards

● Decide who could be harmed and how

● Reduce these risks to a level that is as low as possible

● Evaluate the fire safety precautions that need to be put in place

Your fire risk assessment should be reviewed every year to ensure the correct safety measures remain in place and any new fire hazards are identified. The following must be reviewed on an annual basis:

●Current fire prevention measures

●Your escape routes

●How well you could suppress a fire

●How well you could communicate to those onsite in the event of a fire

●The level of training and fire awareness amongst staff

When deciding what safety measures need to be put in place to protect your employees and building, there are lots of various factors to consider. These include fire doors, emergency routes and exits, fire detection and warning systems, firefighting equipment, an Emergency Evacuation Plan and any vulnerable people in the building.

Who is responsible for completing a fire risk assessment?

You can perform a fire risk assessment yourself, however, it is absolutely crucial you understand all the requirements of your premises. If your fire risk assessment or fire safety policy is not adequate, you could face prosecution if you are the person appointed to carry out the risk assessment.

The responsibility of a fire risk assessment should be placed upon one designated individual, also referred to as the ‘responsible person’. This is usually an employer or any person who has control over the building. There is guidance available on gov.uk to support the responsible person, however, the expertise required to carry out an adequate fire risk assessment is complex and therefore many businesses choose to hire a professional fire risk assessment company to take on the duties instead.

Fire risk inspection companies

As a business, it’s important to promote and encourage good safety practices. Having a professional assessment carried out is a great way to show your staff that fire safety is a top priority for you. Fire risk assessment companies will carry out a thorough fire risk assessment and help you to avoid hefty fines and penalties, some of which can even include prison time.

Professional fire risk assessment companies will have qualified fire risk assessors to inspect your building and provide a detailed recording of their findings, along with a fire safety action plan for you to implement. The assessor you hire will evaluate all kinds of fire hazards in your business, from the light in your building to storage of flammable liquids, covering areas and hazards that you may not have thought of yourself.

Plus, in the unfortunate event that a fire does break out in your building, having a professional assessment should make it easier for you to make a claim with your insurance company and receive the money you’re owed.

Fire safety procedures and training

In addition to a fire risk assessment, it is also crucial that your employees are trained and informed about fire safety in the workplace. Following a fire risk assessment, employees and all relevant persons must be made aware of the relevant information and the risks identified in the assessment. All employees need to be consulted, with some employees being nominated to carry out specific roles in relation to your fire safety precautions.

A detailed fire risk assessment plan will include specifics such as which employees are responsible for what in the event of a fire. The plan will also include the procedures for evacuation and assembly; this should then be communicated to your employees to make sure they are fully aware of what they need to do should a fire break out in your building.

Appropriate information and training must be provided to employees as soon as they start working for your company. It’s a good idea to include fire safety as part of your employees’ health and safety training when they first join your company. Following this, all employees should be consulted and notified if any further fire safety precautions are put in place after annual reviews.

Thameside Fire Protection: from fire risk assessments to fire alarm installation

For complete peace of mind and to ensure your building is safe from the risks and danger of a fire, we recommend hiring a professional company to carry out a fire risk assessment for you. At Thameside Fire Protection, we can help you ensure the safety of your property and staff with a fire safety inspection.

Our professional fire safety consultants can visit your property and conduct a thorough inspection of your existing fire protection systems. They will identify the fire hazards and associated risks and provide you with a detailed report that concentrates on the five disciplines of a good fire safety strategy: prevention, escape, communication, confinement and suppression. We can also guide and advise you on which fire safety systems we feel would work best for you.

With over 30 years of experience and a solid reputation, you needn’t look further than the experts at Thameside Fire Protection. Ensure the safety of your property and staff with our expert advice and fire safety services today. Whether you’re in need of a fire sprinkler installation or you’re looking for fire warden training or first aid classes, we’ve got you covered with our comprehensive range of services.

Visit our website for more information or get in touch to discuss our fire risk assessment costs today.