How to Conduct a Fire Risk Assessment for Your Business
A fire risk assessment may not sound like the most exciting task, but it’s a very important step in ensuring the safety of your building, business, and people. And it is easy to learn why.
It is crucial to safeguard your facility and the people who occupy it against fire, whether you are in the responsibilities of an office, retailer, or warehouse.
The best way to find such issues and find out how to protect your business from them is to do a complete fire risk assessment.
If you want to find out more about fire risk assessments for your business, how they work, and how Damia Global Services may help you, keep reading.
What is a Business fire risk assessment?
A report that assesses the fire risk for business buildings is referred to as a fire risk assessment for business, often referred to as a workplace fire risk assessment.
There are five stages for completing this assessment:
- Assess risks related to fire, such as electrical hazards, combustible substances, heat sources, and inadequate housekeeping procedures.
- Evaluate who is at risk, such as old people, those with disabilities, and visitors who might not be familiar with the building’s layout.
- Evaluate risks, explore ways to reduce or eliminate problems, and determine accountability.
- Keep track of finds and evaluate the team’s fire safety potential.
- Following on, check over and revise the fire risk assessment.
It’s important to keep in mind that, just as no two commercial buildings are similar, so will any two fire risk evaluations. What may be considered suitable for your business may not be acceptable for another.
Who needs to conduct a risk assessment for fire safety?
A recorded document defined as a fire safety risk assessment is mandated by laws for everyone in the control of a building, such as employers. They have to identify any risks related to fire along with all the procedures taken to avoid them.
What do you need to consider in your business fire safety risk assessment?
Businesses should consider the following in their fire risk assessments:
- Emergency routes and exits
- Fire detection and warning systems
- Fire fighting equipment
- Removal or safe storage of dangerous substances
- Emergency fire evacuation plan
- Needs of vulnerable people like the elderly, young children, or those with disabilities
- Providing information to employees and other people on the premises
- Fire safety training for staff and drills
- Emergency lighting and emergency exits
- Fire alarms and fire detection systems
- Fire evacuation plans, fire escape routes, and the identification of people at risk
- Fire extinguishers and fire blankets
- Smoking areas
- The condition of electrical equipment and installations
- The condition and layout of the building
- The location of the signage
- The storage of flammable materials
Is a fire risk assessment for your business a legal requirement?
Yes. A fire risk assessment for your business is a legal requirement if You are the owner of a business, no matter how big or small.
You can face a fine or imprisonment if you are found to have put the lives of building visitors or workers in danger. If you don’t make things right, your business can also be closed.
If you employ more than five people, you have to record this fire risk assessment. Even if you have less than five employees, we still advise writing it down since it reveals that you have identified risks and taken steps to address them.
How often should a fire risk assessment for your business be carried out?
There isn’t a specific fire risk assessment frequency for your business. According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, If you want to maintain a fire risk assessment up-to-date it should be “analyzed by the responsible person on a regular schedule.”
We recommend checking the fire risk assessment for your business once a year, as well as if any change in your circumstances. For example:
- Change in business activity
- Changes to the building’s design
- Change in Staff numbers significantly
- Hire a potentially vulnerable person
- Fire safety equipment is replaced, stolen, or damaged
Who is responsible for conducting a fire risk assessment for your business?
The owner of the building bears responsibility for it.
A responsibility holder, who may be any employee of the business, could be assigned this task. After that, they can either do the fire risk assessment by themselves or assign it to someone else.
Who can do a fire assessment at the workplace?
Your workplace fire assessment must be conducted by someone who is “competent.” This shows that they are aware of the risks that come from fires and what must be done to address them.
This means that if you have the necessary information and abilities, you may do a business fire risk assessment on your own. More information can be found in online guides.
As an alternative, you might have a fire risk assessment firm like Damia Global Services do it for you.
Does an empty building need a fire risk assessment?
Yes, even if a building is empty, you must continue to perform commercial fire risk assessments. This is because fire is still a possibility.
Does working in a historic structure need you to take special measures ?
We recommend hiring a fire risk assessor with experience in historic structures if you work in a listed building or another type of historic structure.
This is because of the possibility that these types of structures involve design features that need special evaluation.
Fire Risk Assessment Tips
Do you need help implementing your fire risk assessment?
Keep a record of everything: Maintain thorough records of your fire risk assessment, such as the risks you identified, the steps you took to reduce them, and the justification for your decisions.
Hire a qualified assessor: Hire a certified fire risk assessment if you have the skills needed to carry out a complete fire risk assessment. The cost is just a small price to pay for your property’s safety. To make sure you keep abiding by legal and industry requirements, Phs Compliance can execute a fire risk assessment on your behalf.
Engage your team: Everyone is responsible for their fire safety. Encourage your staff to alert you to these risks and offer them fire safety training.
Stay updated: It’s important to keep up with any changes that may impact your fire risk assessment as fire safety rules are subject to change.
It takes practice to become perfect: Regular evacuation and fire drills can save lives. Make ensure that everyone is aware of what to do in the unfortunate event of a fire. Any new hires should go through this as part of their induction procedure.
Customize the assessment: You should customize your fire risk assessment to specific circumstances because every business is different. Often, one-size-fits-all evaluations are insufficient.
Conclusion
Every business, whatever its size or industry, has to execute a workplace fire risk assessment. We would like to help you with building an extensive business fire risk assessment.
Our team of knowledgeable, qualified fire risk assessors works in India and will conduct a thorough evaluation, examining each component of your company.
It should be easy to conduct a fire risk assessment for your business building. With us, you will have peace of mind while saving time and money.
Get in touch with Damia Global Services now to discover how easy fire risk assessments can be.