Fire Safety: A Hot Topic At The Workplace

Fire safety is a major concern within the workplace. As a result, many precautions are taken to ensure that everyone in a building or at a site is safe should a fire break out. Every year, many people lose their lives or are injured as a result of fire accidents, and companies in the UK may end up losing millions of pounds not only due to destruction of their property but through compensation, fines, insurance, and even business loss. Fire Safety Regulations Most of the time, fires can be avoided completely or their effects kept to a minimum through proper regulations and measures. Within England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 provides the main legislation. For Scotland, workplaces should abide by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. The legislation lays out a fire safety risk-based approach for premises used for business, community, or industrial purposes. One person is responsible for carrying out a fire risk assessment, usually the employer or the owner of the premises. Once the risks are assessed, appropriate safety measures can be put in place and a fire management plan formulated and regulated. Fire Risk Assessment It is a legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment. Failure to do so can lead to invalidation of the insurance cover, prosecution, or even imprisonment. Fire risk assessments are available for all forms of premises ranging from shops and offices to factories and hospitals. Fire Safety Audit A fire safety audit is the more advanced stage of a fire risk assessment. This consists of a fire safety consultant auditing all the policies, procedures, training, and safety controls used for fire safety within a business. In general, a fire safety audit involves: * Checking all fire routes and interiorsrn* Checking over that all fire control measures are in place, for example fire safety signage, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency lighting, and fire routesrn* Going over any relevant documents, for instance Fire Certificates, PPM records, and maintenance recordsrn* Drawing up a detailed plan of the premises with all the fire controls markedrn* Creating an emergency plan draft Once this has been carried out, the fire safety consultant can discuss with the employer or individual in charge what was discovered and the measures that should be put in place. Fire Safety Training All employees should be provided with a fire safety training course. This will ensure that everyone knows what to do should a fire break out. Fire safety training courses cover: * How to go about raising an alarmrn* How the fire brigade should be contactedrn* The best way to use fire-fighting equipmentrn* How to evacuate the premises and where the exits are locatedrn* Where to assemble and who should be reported to Fire safety is an important issue, irrespective of the working environment. It is vital that regular fire assessments are carried out and that employees are provided with the appropriate training to ensure their safety.