Fire Safety – your responsibility
November 1st 2006

Product manager for BuckHickman InOne, Ben Ward discusses the implications of the new fire safety legislation for industry and takes a look at the government-produced guide for factories and warehouses

In October a new health and safety responsibility fell on the shoulders of employers. Under the new Regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) you must now conduct your own risk assessment of the fire hazards posed by the operation, management and contents of your premises.

The statistics certainly make frightening reading. In 2004 (England and Wales) fire and rescue services attended 33,400 fires in non-domestic buildings. These fires killed 38 people and injured over 1,300.

Many businesses do not reopen after a fire and the costs, including property damage, human casualties and lost business, were estimated at £2.5 billion.

It makes sense to get fire safety right At first sight the new legislation may seem like an added burden, but it does mean that you can find a solution to minimise any hazards that is tailored to your operation.

This removes what many considered to be a straitjacket of prescriptive guides, to one of more professionally made judgements based on risk assessments.

The Fire and Rescue Service will no longer issue Fire Safety certificates but will take on the role of an auditor and enforcer of the fire safety provisions made for a premises. Indeed fire safety certificates are no longer valid.

Complying with the fire safety order now rests with what is described as "the responsible" person. In a workplace, this is the employer and any other person who may have control of the premises, such as the occupier or owner and anyone who is required to maintain or repair any part of the premises.

"Responsible people" must ensure that a fire risk assessment is completed. This must focus on the safety of all people in the event of a fire and pay particular attention to those at special risk such as those working on their own, young people, disabled and those with special needs.

This assessment should help to identify risks that can be removed or reduced and decide the nature and extent of the general fire precautions that need to be taken. If your business employs more than five people, you must keep a record of the risk assessment and any significant findings.

Five steps to a risk assessment The government has produced a series of free guides to help industry comply with the new legislation, these can be found at www.firesafetylaw.communities.gov.uk. The "fire risk assessment – factories and warehouses" guide describes five stages for carrying out a risk assessment.

The first stage is to identify potential fire hazards. For a fire to start there has to be a source of ignition, fuel and oxygen.

Potentially ignition can occur wherever there is a source of heat – this might include naked flames, vehicle exhausts, hot ducting, faulty equipment, cigarettes or hot processes such as welding.

Fuel is anything that burns reasonably easily. In addition to paper, some of the common fuels found in an industrial area may include flammable liquids such as paints, varnishes and thinners, cleaning products or flammable gases such as LPG or aerosols.

Oxygen is obviously in the air. Anything that can introduce more air to an area, such as doors, windows or ventilation should be considered. Other sources of oxygen include some chemicals and oxygen supplies from storage and piped systems.

The next step in a risk assessment is to identify the people at risk should a fire occur. You must consider where people work and where visitors and other people will be.

The third step is to reduce the potential risks and then evaluate those that are left.

How you manage your premises and the way that people use it will have an affect on any risk assessment. Generally the chances of a fire starting will be low if there are few ignition sources and combustible materials are kept away from them.

Fires usually start in one of three ways: by accident such as when something is knocked over, by omission such as when electrical equipment is not properly maintained, or thirdly by arson. Looking critically at your premises you should be able to minimise any of these risks.

The guide goes on to recommend that you remove or at least reduce any hazards - ignition, fuel and oxygen sources. In an industrial building, for instance, one action is to keep flammable solids, liquids and gases in separate secure storage areas. Areas where flammable gases are used or stored should be well ventilated.

If a fire should start in your building you must also evaluate its risk to people. How quickly can a fire spread? Can people become isolated or unable to react quickly? You need to ensure that there are adequate fire precautions in place to warn people in enough time to escape safely. Fire alarms, emergency lighting and appropriate signage are needed to facilitate a safe escape.

Providing fire-fighting equipment can reduce the risk of a small fire developing into a large one. The safe use of an appropriate fire extinguisher, for example, can control a fire in its early stages and reduce the risk to other people.

Premises should have enough portable extinguishers for the identified risks.

The fourth step outlined in the guide is to record, plan, inform, instruct and train. Having conducted a risk assessment and taken any appropriate actions these must be recorded. This may take the form of a list supported by a simple plan of the building or be a more detailed report - depending on the size of the premises and how it is used.

You should also have an emergency plan. This ensures that the people in your premises know what to do if there is a fire and that they can safely leave the premises.

For small buildings this may be no more than a fire action notice, multi-occupied, larger and more complex premises will require a more detailed plan.

The guide goes on to advise that you must give clear and relevant information to staff and other people working in your premises about how to prevent fires and what to do in the event of a fire.

This training should be based on the findings of your risk assessment.

Finally the guide emphasises that the fire risk assessment must be monitored and reviewed regularly. Any change in working practice or new processes should be evaluated. The fire risk assessment is a "living, breathing" document and not something that is just dusted off when the Fire officer visits.

BuckHickman InOne provides a series of fire safety training dvds and videos, fire risk assessment logs, fire alarms and signage, fire extinguishers and other equipment to industry.

More articles from Buck & Hickman Ltd: