This document provides information on fire safety and conducting a fire risk assessment. It discusses the regulatory requirements for appointing a responsible person to ensure fire safety measures are in place. This includes identifying fire hazards, risks to people, and evaluating and reducing risks. It also covers fire detection systems, firefighting equipment, escape routes, emergency evacuation, signage, and the importance of recording, planning, training and regularly reviewing the fire risk assessment.
2. Regulatory Reform Order
(Fire Safety)
Enacted 1st October 2006
Fire certificates cease to have effect
New duty holder “Responsible Person”
Must carry out a fire risk assessment
3. Responsible Person
The person who has to any extent the
control of :
A
workplace – the employer,
managers, supervisors etc.
The premises – owner, occupier or
agent
4. Responsible Person
Must appoint competent person(s) to assist with
fire safety measures
Take general fire precautions to ensure safety of
employees and other relevant persons
Does not apply to domestic premises, ships at
sea, vehicles, fields or woods, mines etc.
Does apply to external events.
5. General Fire Precautions
Reduce the risk and spread of fire
Ensure means of escape at all times
Fire fighting measures on premises
Fire detection and warnings of
Action in the case of fire
Training and instruction
Measures to mitigate the effects
7. Main causation of fires
(12 months Jan 05 to Dec 05)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Deliberate ignition - 53
Electrical - 34
Cooking - 13
Friction, heat and sparks - 12
Smoking materials - 11
Naked light - 4
>£250K
8. Organisations
(12 months Jan 05 to Dec 05)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Dwellings - 27
Local/national government – 25
Hospitality & food and drink industry - 13
Retail – 12
Chemical Industry - 11
Education - 9
>£250K
9. Fire safety risk assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify the fire hazards
Identify the people at risk
Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect
from risk
Record, plan, inform, instruct, and train
Review
17. 2. Identify the people at risk
Employees especially
those who work alone
Vulnerable people
Contractors
Young people
Other people in the
immediate vicinity
Fire fighters
18. 3. Evaluate, remove, reduce,
and protect from risk
Evaluate the risk of a fire occurring:
Accidentally
By act or omission
Deliberately
19. 3. Evaluate, remove, reduce, and
protect from risk
Evaluate the risk to people
Fire is spread by:
Convection
Conduction
Radiation
Contact or direct heat
23. Evaluating the risks to people
Consider:
Fires on lower floors can affect escape routes for
those on upper floors
Fires developing in unoccupied spaces which
people have to pass
Spread of fire or smoke via vertical shafts and
service or ventilation ducts
Fires in service rooms affecting hazardous
materials
24. Remove or reduce the hazards
- sources of ignition
Replace potential sources of ignition with an
alternative
Replace naked flame and radiant heaters with
fixed convector heaters or central heating
Separate ignition sources and fuels
Check areas after hot work has taken place
Take precautions to avoid arson
25. Remove or reduce the hazards
- sources of fuel
Ensure flammable materials, liquids and
gases are kept to a minimum and stored
properly
Do not keep flammable solids, liquids and
gases together
Remove combustible waste daily
Store waste materials securely away from
buildings.
26. Remove or reduce the hazards
– sources of oxygen
Close all doors, windows and other
openings when not required for ventilation
Shut down inessential ventilation systems
Do not store oxidising materials next to
heat sources or flammable materials
Control use of oxygen cylinders
27. Remove or reduce the hazards
– to people
Ensure that any risks remaining to people
are controlled
Provide systems to warn people and allow
them to escape in the event of fire
Provide adequate exits for the number of
people present
28. Fire detection and warning systems
System will depend on the size and layout
of the building
It should provide adequate warning in the
event of a fire
Automatic or manual?
You may/will need special arrangements
for people with disabilities
29. Fire-fighting equipment and
facilities
Can reduce the risk of a small fire (waste
paper bin) developing into a larger one
Controlling a fire in the early stages can
reduce the risk to people
There should be enough portable
extinguishers suitable for the risk
They should be sited throughout the
premises at suitable locations
31. Fire-fighting equipment and
facilities
Class A fire – rule of thumb one water
extinguisher for every 200m² minimum 2
per floor
Additional risks – appropriate type &
number of extinguishers. See BS 5306-8
32. Other facilities
Can include:
Access for fire engines and fire-fighters
Fire-fighting shafts and lifts
Fire suppression systems – sprinklers
Smoke-control systems
Dry or wet rising mains and fire-fighters inlets
Information and communication systems
Fire-fighters switches
33. Escape routes
Escape routes should be:
Suitable
Easily, safely and immediately usable at all
times
Adequate for the number of people
Free from any obstructions, slip or trips hazards
Available for access by the emergency services
34. Escape routes
Suitable:
Fire resistant construction
Escape routes should not go through other
occupiers premises
Doors should open in the direction of travel
Be fitted with vision panels if over 60 people
35. Emergency evacuation of persons
with mobility impairment
Do not use lifts unless alternative power supplies
and protected from smoke
Take to refuge and wait for assistance or begin
staged evacuation – provide communications.
You must have plans to evacuate without
assistance
Consider use of evacuation chairs
Provide buddy system for those with visual
impairment
Visual alarms in cases of hearing impairment
36. Emergency escape lighting
Provided on all escape routes to assist in
evacuation and should cover:
Exit doors and escape routes
Intersections of corridors
Outside each final exit and external
escape routes and stairways
Changes in level
Fire equipment and alarm call points
37. Signs and notices
Comply with British or
European standards
Not mixed
Be fire resistant
British Standard
European Standard
38. Installation, testing & maintenance
Installed by competent persons
Maintained in line with manufacturers
guidance
Tested weekly
Inspected quarterly
Records kept for inspection
40. 4. Record, plan, inform, instruct &
train
Fire risk assessment – recorded available for
inspection
Actions prioritised and implemented
Evacuation plans developed, implemented and
tested – at least twice annually or once per term
Employee groups informed of results
Employees, visitors, contractors given adequate
training and instruction
41. 5. Review
Review risk assessments, plans etc:
When changes occur – changes to work
processes, alterations to the building or
work patterns
Introduction of new equipment, hazardous
substances, significant increase in people
At least annually
Flammable gases, liquids and solidsOxygen always present in air, Ignition sources – hot surfaces, electrical equipment etc
Smoke produced by a fire also contains toxic gases which are harmful to people; a fire in a building with modern fittings and materials generates thick black oily smoke, which can obscure vision, causes great difficulty in breathing ultimately asphyxiating and block fire escape routes.
Remember those at special risk – disabled, visitors etc
Heaters – restrict the movement of and guard portable heating devices, have them checked regularly
Remove all naked flames where possible
Make sure electrical and mechanical and gas equipment is installed, used maintained and protected according with the manufacturers instructions
Ideally appropriate extinguishers alongside the fire risk, where the risk is not confined to a particular location, extinguisherss should be positioned on escape routes, close to the exit from the room or floor or final exit. No one should have to travel more than 30m to reach an extinguisher. On walls small ones @ 1.5m height, larger 1m or on stands.
Information signs for fire-fighters; static water supplies: private hydrants; standby fire pumps, generators; manual self closing devises fro roller shutter doors
Adequate – up to 750mm door up to 80 people per minute for high risk premises
100 normal
120 low risk
1050mm door160
200
240
Additional 75 mill 15 persons or part of
Evacuation methods depend on degree of disability. If wheelchair bound ramps no greater than 1:12 or provide services in other accessible areas. If providing evacuation chairs adequate numbers of people have to be trained to use them.
Consider the potential risk of any significant changes before they are introduced. It is usually more effective and financially acceptable to minimise risk at the design stage than introducing changes or upgrades later on.