Published 4 May in
How Confident are You in Your Fire Safety?
Having an up-to-date and properly prepared fire emergency plan for your premises is essential, and such a plan has to be based on an equally up-to-date fire risk assessment. However, this is something that’s often left to slip almost by accident.
When Did You Last…
When was a fire risk assessment last carried out for your premises? Has anything changed since – any new hires, new furniture, new equipment that might block emergency routes or make them slower or more dangerous to use?
If anything significant has changed, there are two major concerns you should take into account.
Firstly: If your fire risk assessment is no longer useful due to changes, this may lead to problems at your next Fire Safety Inspection. The Enforcement Officers who oversee these investigations take their job very seriously – as they should – and will penalise any location which fails to maintain their assessments.
Secondly – and more importantly – any plans or actions taken based on an outdated plan may not help your premises to be safer, and leaves staff and visitors alike at risk.
How Often Should New Fire Risk Assessments Be Made?
Our professional recommendation is that you update your fire risk assessment once a year – even if you haven’t deliberately changed anything, buildings can deteriorate with time and this may create more issues – or when a significant change is made.
Do You have a Professional Fire Emergency Plan?
Once you have your assessment – and have carried out any important actions flagged by it – you also need a fire safety plan that will cover what to do when a fire is noticed, how to respond to the alarm, what escape routes should be used (and who/what job role is responsible for checking that they stay clear), responsibility for roll call, and more.
If you’re not certain that your plan covers everything – or if you fear it may be out of date – RB Health & Safety is here for you. Use our form, email us at admin@rbhealthandsafety.co.uk, or phone 0845 257 1489 to get in touch and we’ll help walk you through what you need.