What do you have to do?

 Employers (and/or building owners or occupiers) must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and keep it up to date. This shares the same approach as health and safety risk assessments and can be carried out either as part of an overall risk assessment or as a separate exercise.

 Based on the findings of the assessment, employers need to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire.

 To help prevent fire in the workplace, your risk assessment should be carried out by a competent person and should identify what could cause a fire to start, i.e. sources of ignition (heat or sparks), substances that burn, and the people who may be at risk.

Once you have identified the risks, you can take appropriate action to control them. Consider whether you can avoid them altogether or, if this is not possible, how you can reduce the risks and manage them. Also consider how you will protect people if there is a fire. 

  • Carry out a fire safety risk assessment.
  • Keep sources of ignition and flammable substances apart.
  • Avoid accidental fires, e.g. make sure heaters cannot be knocked over.
  • Ensure good housekeeping at all times, e.g. avoid build-ups of rubbish that could burn.
  • Consider how to detect fires and how to warn people quickly if they start, e.g. installing smoke alarms and fire alarms or bells.
  • Have the correct fire-fighting equipment for putting a fire out quickly.
  • Keep fire exits and escape routes clearly marked and unobstructed at all times.
  • Ensure your workers receive appropriate training on procedures they need to follow, including fire drills.
  • Review and update your risk assessment regularly.

 How can ACA Health & Safety Services Help?

 We will arrange for a fire risk assessor to visit your premises to carry out your fire risk assessment. You will be provided with a fire risk assessment report and a list of any corrective actions that need carrying out to improve the fire safety of your premises.

 Our Fire Risk Assessors are NEBOSH Fire qualified and specialise in communicating any findings to your company in plain and simple English.