With fire safety circulating the UK headlines, Chris Jude, Director at Building Surveyors Ltd, explains that there’s more to complying with fire safety regulations than having a few fire extinguishers to hand.
Who is responsible for fire safety? As an employer, owner, landlord, or occupier of a business or non-domestic building, you’re legally responsible for carrying out detailed fire risk assessments which identify risks and hazards. If you don’t follow correct fire safety regulations, fines for minor penalties can be up to £5000, major penalties can have unlimited fines and up to two years in prison.
What does an FRA involve? A Fire Risk Assessment involves the physical inspection of buildings to check that existing fire precautions are adequate and to ensure that if needed, additional measures are put in place.
However, it is not as simple as ensuring there is a couple of fire extinguishers to hand – fire safety largely depends on the potential risks present in a property and the different types of buildings can cause confusion. For example, a building that is used for a single tenancy will differ to one which is shared across commercial and residential lettings.
Assessments should be carried out annually or when any major changes are made to the structure of a building. They are also required if a change of use of the premises is required or if potential new risks such as ignition sources are introduced.
The five key steps to a Fire Risk Assessment are:
If in doubt, ask a professional Carrying out the assessment is one thing but making sure it’s completed properly is quite another. While doing the assessment in-house has the advantage of ensuring that you own and understand the precautions you need to take to protect people adequately, it’s important to know your limits – whether that is having sufficient knowledge to carry out the assessment to investing enough time to make sure a thorough job is done.
Hiring a professional company like us has clear advantages. Over the years, we have worked with a range of organisations, providing a robust and trusted Fire Risk Assessment service for residential property management companies, care homes, office blocks and Housing Associations.
Whether you choose to do the assessments in-house or call in the professionals, it’s your legal obligation to follow correct fire safety regulations. Aside from the fines and prosecutions, the most important reason to ensure compliance is the protection of life from the devastating effects of fire. Make sure you know you know your legal obligations and act on them accordingly.
To find out more, read our case studies or to discuss your requirements, call us on 0191 500 9789
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