Fire Safety Consultancy

Overview

Regulation 3 of the "Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations" is a legal requirement for all employers whereby they are required to carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of health and safety risks to which their employees and others are exposed as a result of the organisation's business activities.

Recent changes to fire safety legislation put greater emphasis on the use of risk assessments to establish the level of risk from fire within and around employers' workplaces and premises.

In addition to specific hazards, a fire risk assessment examines all aspects of fire precautions, including, for example, fire detection systems and evacuation procedures to identify any non-compliance with current law and possible additional precautions needed to manage and reduce the risk from fire.

Objectives

The primary aim of the Fire Risk Assessment is to ensure that fire safety and precautions on the premises are provided and maintained in accordance with Health and Safety legislation and specifically the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.

Methodology

The Fire Risk Assessment needs to be carried out by a suitably competent person.

Due to the nature of the hazards and risks being assessed, it is essential that the assessor has free access to examine all parts of the premises. To this end, any security clearances that may be required should be arranged before the scheduled time for the assessment.

Documentation relevant to fire safety should also be assembled before the start of the assessment, for example:

Site plan (if available);
Fire prevention policy (if available);
Previous Fire Risk Assessments (if available);
Compartmentation plans;
Fire evacuation plan;
Records of fire evacuation exercises;
Fire equipment logbook;
Tests of fire alarm systems and other equipment;
Fire training records;
List of Fire Wardens;
Accident reporting records;


Following examination of relevant documentation, the examiner will typically:

Visit the premises to assess levels of compliance with UK fire safety law;
Interview representatives of the various jobs, including supervisory/management as considered necessary;
Systematically inspect all areas to determine how or where a fire could start and the potential for such a fire to spread;
Examine equipment available for detecting, warning of and fighting fire;
Examine and review procedures and measures in place for controlling risks from fire and for evacuation in the event of fire.


A report is produced of the findings from the assessment, along with recommendations, where required, to address any concerns.

Duration

The time required for a specific assessment depends on the size, construction and complexity of the site, along with the activities being undertaken.

Fire Strategy Reviews

When undertaking refurbishment works, fit-out works or new-build projects it is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and the Building Regulations to produce a fire strategy for the newly refurbished / fitted-out or built premises. This is a task normally carried out by the project architects, often in consultation with a Fire Engineer.

We can assist in this process by reviewing the fire strategy to ensure compliance from a legal perspective whilst maintaining a working business environment. Please note that we are not fire engineers but we can recommend suitably competent engineers should you wish.

Examples of our Work

Should you wish to see examples of our Fire Safety Consultancy, please contact us and we will be happy to send you an example of our recent work. This information is not made publically available due to the sensitive nature of its content.