Fire Risk Assessments

Fire Risk Assessments 

If you're responsible for a building, it’s important to do all you can to reduce the risk of fire to keep people safe. It saves lives, it’s your legal duty, and it makes good business sense. 

What is a Fire Risk Assessment?

A careful look at your premises and the people who use them, from a fire prevention perspective. It’s about understanding the potential risks, then improving your fire safety precautions to keep people safe.

Why do it?

A Fire Risk Assessment is a legal requirement. If you are responsible for a building, for example a employer, owner or occupier of premises that aren't a 'single private dwelling' (a private home), you need to make sure a suitably competent person completes a Fire Risk Assessment. It is your duty to identify fire risks and hazards in your premises and take appropriate action.

In addition, if five or more people work at your premises or your business has a licence under enactment in force, you’ll need your fire risk assessment to be a written record. Make sure you review your risk assessment regularly and whenever significant changes have been made that would have an impact on it. It’s good business sense as well as a legal requirement, often businesses don’t recover after a fire, and effective fire prevention starts with properly understanding the risks. 

Did you know? 

If there's a fire and you haven't met your legal duties to keep people safe, you could be fined and may even spend time in prison. 

How to do a Fire Risk Assessment

Broadly speaking, assessments are conducted in five key steps:

1. Identify the fire hazards.
2. Identify people at risk.
3. Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
4. Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.
5. Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.

Who checks it? 

The Local Authority Fire Service is responsible for auditing Fire Risk Assessments; they are also the enforcing body and may impose requirements and in extreme cases may close all or part of a building or business.

Who should do my Fire Risk Assessment?

It depends on how large or complex your business or organisation is, if the premises is small and the layout simple you may wish to produce your own FRA

If your business is larger or more complex, contact an expert to come and help.  

Can we do your Fire Risk Assessment for you?

Our Fire Risk Assessors are very experienced ex Fire Service personnel and specialists in their field. We have provided risk assessments for all types and manor of properties, from Guest Houses, Hotels and corner shops to Pharmaceutical factories, Energy recovery facilities, Schools and Hospitals, listed buildings and new builds.

With a nationwide service, we can provide a single source solution for facilities managers, groups and national accounts, as well as single site locations. Centrally located in the West Midlands, close to national and international networks, we are able to travel to anywhere in the world, often at short notice.

In order to ensure compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, or to ensure your own peace of mind, any property should have a documented Fire Risk Assessment. In certain circumstances, usually where 5 or more persons are employed on the premises or if they are open to the public, this may be a legal requirement. Sometimes, this may be a very simple process and some occupiers may even wish to carry out this risk assessment themselves. However, where a property is listed, or if there is any complication or query, often the assistance of an expert may be very beneficial, not least in accepting liability!

As each risk assessment will vary according to the type of property, the activities within or around it, it’s location and many other variables, it is difficult to fix an exact cost, but please call our office to discuss your needs and we will endeavor to quote possible costs over the phone. We will gladly provide a written quotation if requested.

Once we have completed a fire risk assessment for you, we can continue to advise where required ensuring you are adequately protected and that you meet the requirements of the authorities. Call us now for a no obligation discussion and possible quote.