Fire Risk Assessments
Those responsible for a building have a legal duty to ensure that a suitable competent person competes a Fire Risk Assessment. A Fire Risk Assessment is conducted in order to understand the potential risks at a premises, and as a result, improves fire safety precautions in order to keep people safe.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) have provided an overview of who is required to facilitate a Fire Risk Assessment, and how to carry it out. We have summarised this below:
What are the rules?
If you are responsible for a building, for example an employer, owner or occupier of premises that aren’t ‘single private dwelling’ (a private home), you are obliged to make sure that a Fire Risk Assessment is conducted
Additionally, if five or more people work at your premises, or your business has a licence under enactment in force, you’ll need your risk assessment to be a written record, reviewed regularly
If there is a fire and you haven’t met your legal duties, you may be fined and/or spend time in prison
How to do a Fire Risk Assessment
Broadly speaking, assessments are conducted in five key steps:
Identify the fire hazards.
Identify people at risk.
Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.
Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.
See the full guide from the LFB at: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-workplace/fire-risk-assessments-your-responsibilities/
How else can you improve fire safety precautions? The Infoo App
As well as ensuring that Fire Risk Assessments are carried out, there are other ways to improve building safety. The Infoo app is a free app which allows users to easily access product recall information, allowing users to check if any of their appliances have ever been subjected to a recall notice due to faults. The Infoo app helps people mitigate against dangerous items that they may have otherwise not known about. As well as recall data, the app contains ‘how-to-guides’ and warranty information. You can download the app at: https://linktr.ee/infoo.app
