KEEP YOUR BUSINESS SAFETY UP TO DATE
With everything back into full swing after the new year, now is the perfect time to review fire and security measures in your business.
Almost all businesses require a fire risk assessment for their premises, which should be regularly reviewed and updated as needed. Fire Risk Assessments should be a living document and reviewed regularly – certainly it is necessary whenever there are any significant changes which could affect the fire risk, including changes to the building, staff, occupancy, activities, legislation etc. Additionally, it has become standard best practice to review the Fire Risk Assessment on an annual basis.
Would you have to guess at questions that ask if your fire extinguishers / alarms are appropriate and sufficient? Do you fully understand escape procedures, travel distances, building regulations and so on? If you are unsure to the answers of these questions, it may be best to seek a professional fire risk assessor to carry out this review for you. The law indeed allows for businesses to undertake their own fire-risk assessment but it still requires that the assessment is ‘sufficient’. An insufficient assessment is one of the most common failures cited in fire safety legal proceedings nowadays.
Some clients prefer to have a third party carry out the Review each year, as a second pair of eyes, and this is particularly relevant to larger premises or where there are frequent changes. Even if clients carry out their own annual Reviews, it is prudent to get a third party to re-visit the Fire Risk Assessment after 5 years, so that changes in legislation and guidance can be taken into account.
Weekly and monthly fire alarm testing can be carried out by in house staff, servicing must be carried out by a ‘Competent Person’. The simplest way to prove ‘competence’ is to use qualified personnel with third-party certification (such as BAFE). Keybury can provide maintenance cover for fire alarm systems, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers and help keep you on the right-side of the law.
All checks should be recorded in the fire safety log book. Failure to keep the fire safety log book up to date is one of the most common reasons that fire inspections are failed, these are also the most easily discovered downfalls from an inspector.
If you are unsure about what is required of a fire risk assessment at your premises, contact us today for more information or to book an assessment from one of our fire risk assessors. Call 01535 66 11 97 or visit our contact page.