If you’re running a business, the last thing you’ll ever want to be hearing is a fire alarm going off. Thankfully, many alarms are often false alarms (which are still a huge disruption and nuisance). But in the worst cases, these aren’t false alarms and mean an actual fire. For your business or property, this means,
- Serious damage
- Extensive financial loses
- Injury (or in the worst cases, death)
The seriousness of fires means that many businesses, without the proper precautions in place, never recover. Even businesses with the best fire insurance, which will cover an extensive rebuild, often suffer seriously due to the loss of revenue during the reconstruction business. Insurance is vital but ensuring fires can be prevented in the first place is still incredibly important. At the same time, business owners, landlords, or the occupier of the business have an important responsibility to comply with fire safety regulation.
The landlord, property owner, business owner, or occupier is expected to,
- Ensure your employees and any visitors are protected from the fire
- That the property adheres to all fire safety requirements
Failure to comply can result in serious fines – especially in the case of an actual fire occurring.
Legal Obligations
As the employer, business owner, or landlord, you are bound by law to act as the responsible person. Failure to meet the expectations of the law can result in,
- Heavy fines
- Or even Imprisonment
‘Responsible Person’ is the term used in England. In Scotland, legislation uses the phrase ‘duty holder’ – but ultimately the legislation works the same. Any fire protection issues lie at the feet of the business owner or employee; they are legally accountable for any fire protection issues.
As a responsible person, you are also expected to ensure your employees are competent. Anyone hired to maintain Fire Alarms Glasgow, install protection (like alarms, panels, call points, or extinguishers), or carry out risk assessments, perform their work without any errors. This means looking for people who are properly certified and accredited – and so that the people have been properly certified.
Sourcing competent providers is expected under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as well as all equivalent legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Fire Risk Assessment
A business with more than four employees must keep a written fire risk assessment. It remains good practice to do this even if you have less staff. Fire risk assessments are the bedrock of all fire safety procedures and any preventative actions. If you have a complex business premises, it’s good to get expert guidance from a professional fire risk assessor – who can ensure you are able to put together a proper risk assessment that complies with all important legislation.
A risk assessment has five steps to it.
1. Identification of all Potential Fire Hazards
This considers how a fire could start. It looks for the location of things such as heaters, electrical equipment (and their maintenance), and piles or rubbish or other fuel sources. It will also look at what kind of wall coverings and floor coverings you have – since these also often play into fire risks.
2. Identification of those at Risk
At risk persons are members of staff or the public who, in the case of a fire are at greater risk. Typically at-risk people are those who work close to potential sources of a fire – butt hey may also be disabled workers or visitors, who in the case of a fire cannot remove themselves from the building with the same ease as other workers or visitors and require greater assistance.
3. Evaluate the Extent of the Risk and effectiveness of Safety Measures
Once you’ve looked at the level of the fire risk, you’ll need to then consider how you can remove or reduce it. If you find existing safety measures to be ineffective, you’ll need to consider how to remedy them and if there are appropriate fire detection systems and fighting equipment necessary.
4. Record Finding, Prep and Emergency Plan
You’ll need to record all you’ve found – especially areas where risk is at its greatest, and the steps you’ve taken to limit and reduce the risk. If you have five or more staff, then this record is a necessity.
Prep for the emergency by having staff assigned appropriate roles and they are competent for the job with the proper training. Also ensure a proper emergency route is formulated.
5. Regularly review the Assessment
Another key aspect is ensuring the Fire Risk Assessment is regularly reviewed. It is important you undertake periodic reviews and make any changes as necessary. Also inform any staff of amendments – as well as any businesses or people who use the premises.
There are strong financial penalties for failing to undertake a risk assessment. As such, it is vital you undertake the process.