Fire Risk Assessment

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Controlling fire risks is an important part of managing a property. In order to be able to protect against the risks of fire, the first step is to identify these risks and this is where the fire risk assessment comes in carried out by one of our competent fire consultants.  A legal demand for all ‘non-domestic’ premises, fire risk assessments (or FRAs) are a snapshot of how protected any given property is to ensure the safety of its occupants in the event of a fire. The FRA also identifies corrective actions and further steps to achieve an appropriate level of fire safety.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (commonly known simply as the Fire Safety Order) introduced a legal duty for ‘the responsible person’ to take all reasonable steps to ensure that fire safety levels are appropriate at all times. The segment within the legislation focussing on fire risk assessments opens with the following:

•  Fire Alarm System Design, Installation, Test and Commission
• Fire Alarm Maintenance (annual inspection and testing)
• Smoke Detection Systems (Installation, test, commission and annual Testing)
• Fire Risk Assessments
• Fire Safety Audits
• Wireless Fire Alarm
• Fire Extinguisher Supply, Install, Commission, Maintenance / Annual Service
• PAT Testing 
• Periodic Electrical Testing 
• Independent Fire Consultants

9.—(1) The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order.

This legislation applies to all non-domestic properties including commercial and public premises, such as shops, factories, warehouses and offices, but also schools, nursing homes as well as businesses providing sleeping accommodation. It also applies to sheltered housing as well as the communal areas of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupations (HMOs); though not to the individual dwellings within the HMO.

For businesses employing five or more employees, there is a legal requirement to not only carry out a fire risk assessment but to document the findings in writing. Fire Risk Assessments can be carried out by the organisation or business affected.

For more information on our fire risk assessment service, please contact our Fire Consultants by emailing: seanr@sqrgroup.co.uk or by calling 03332244586 (during normal office hours).