Fire Risk Assessments

What does fire risk assessment involve?

Their methods of escape, equipment for detecting and giving warning in case of fire and the available fire fighting apparatus must be appropriate for the premises and the number of people present.

Consideration must also be given to the age, agility and health of the people who may be on the premises. Different factors have to be considered, for example, for creches, residential care homes and out-of-town shopping centres. Primarily a fire risk assessment will ensure that satisfactory escape routes are identified and kept available for use, that suitable arrangements are made to detect and give warning of a fire and that appropriate fire-fighting equipment is strategically located around the workplace.

The Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005 also requires that a fire risk assessment involves identifying the potential source ignition in the workplace and also the combustible materials present as part of the business operations, the furnishings and structure in which the business is carried out.

The aim is to reduce risk to a minimum. Opportunities may be taken to eliminate, avoid or transfer the various hazards that have been identified, once this has been done the residual sources of ignition and combustible materials that form the core of the day-to-day patterns of working will be separated as far as is practicable. The people who use the premises must also be considered - these include staff, customers, visitors or members of the public.