Frequently Asked Questions
What defines a 'sufficient' and suitable risk assessment?
'Suitable and sufficient' in the concept of risk assessments means that the assessment has identified all the significant hazards and, as a result, reasonable precautions have been taken.
There is no defined government issued standard for a fire risk assessment. However, the main priority of your assessment should be to identify the risks to people and property at your business premises. In order to do this the responsible person, (you) must identify fire hazards to employees and visitors who could be at risk in the event of a fire whilst on your premises.
What is the definition of a Responsible Person?
This is the person who is responsible for general fire precautions within a premises and can be but not limited to:
- The Employer
- The person who has control of the premises in connection with the carrying on of a business trade or undertaking
- The Owner
What is the Responsibility?
- They must take into consideration the safety of all relevant persons
- Relevant Person is defined as:
- Any person who is or maybe lawfully on the premises and or
- Any person in the immediate vicinity of the premises who is at risk from a fire on the premises
- Duties of the Responsible Person
- Must carry out a fire risk assessment
- Provide adequate general fire precautions
- Consider the safety of all relevant persons
- Record both the significant findings and the control measures taken
- Provide adequate staff training
What is the definition of Premises?
The definition of premises below is taken directly from The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Article 2
- any workplace;
- any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or hovercraft;
- any installation on land (including the foreshore and other land intermittently covered by
- water), and any other installation (whether floating, or resting on the seabed or the subsoil
- thereof, or resting on other land covered with water or the subsoil thereof); and
- any tent or movable structure;
What is it?
- It will be a consolidation of nearly all the existing fire safety legislation moving forward.
Who will it affect?
- Building owners and employers are the primary people and organisations that are affected, but it could be anyone who has some level of control over a premises.
What will I have to do?
- Produce a Fire Risk Assesment and then act accordingly upon the findings of that assesment.
I have a fire certificate... will that be enough?
- No. Fire certificates will become invalid when the new law takes affect in October 2006. However a recent fire certificate maybe a good starting point for your fire risk assessment.
Will the Local Fire and Rescue Service still inspect my premises?
Yes, particularly in higher risk premises. But they cannot carry out your fire risk assessment for you. Also the local Fire and Rescue Service's saftey inspector will carry out random audit inspections on business premises in the area to ensure compliance with the new law. The audit may include the following:
- Inspection of paperwork (i.e. your general fire precautions and your Fire Risk Assesment document)
- Inspection of any part of the premisies
- Questioning of staff members to ascertain fire precaution awareness
- Inspection of any facilities provided as general fire precautions such as extinguishers and sprinkler systems.
Your local Fire Saftey Officer may offer regular mini seminars on what to expect from an audit inspection i.e. has an annual inspection been performed and on what date? Has a responsible person attended an audit inspection seminar and the date last attended. Contact your local fire service for details.
