Thankfully most workplaces demonstrate a responsible attitude towards understanding workplace requirements for fire safety and ensuring “a responsible individual” has been appointed.
The specific legal requirements for workplace fire safety depend on the type of activity or business carried out on the commercial premises. However, the ultimate responsibility for fire safety in the workplace rests with the company directors, managers and the person(s) that have been appointed as into the role of responsible individuals. Having a designated responsible individual is an important part of the fire alarm regulations for commercial buildings.
The systems and processes to reduce the risk of fire are going to be infinitely more stringent and detailed in an oil refinery than those that have been recommended for an office block.
In almost all circumstances, the responsibility for enforcing fire safety legislation falls to local authorities and the fire brigade service. The health and safety executive (HSE) is responsible for implementing legislation across the construction and nuclear industries. It is the duty of a qualified fire risk assessor to carry out a thorough survey and detail the systems and processes required.
Each workplace will be unique and needs its own survey. Great importance should be given to ensuring people are trained because there are severe consequences should an incident occur and negligence of duty is found to have contributed to the cause or spread of a fire.
To ignite, a fire needs three elements:
These three elements can be linked together in a fire triangle and if any one of the elements is missing the fire will become extinguished.
What is the employee’s role in prevention?
In general terms the fire safety legal requirements for business owners are set out in the Regulatory Reform Order of 2005, which covers England and Wales. In Scotland equivalent requirements are set down in a document called the Fire Scotland Act of 2005.
The employer is obliged to carry out a detailed fire safety risk assessment exercise. This review can be carried out separately or as a component of the workplace health and safety risk assessment.
Employers are advised to consult the relevant legislation concerning their business operations and its workplace requirements for fire safety. There are many self-evident differences in what is good practice across different industries or business settings. However, even within a given industry there are likely to be well defined and disparate obligations on the part of employers.
In all risk assessments, the fire triangle is applied to the mechanics of day-to-day business activity. It should ask the following questions:
The above questions are vital in helping the employer and the workforce understand that “combustible substances” are not merely paper or wood, but includes plastics, foams and volatile chemicals. In other words, every possible eventuality must be considered during the assessment.
Managing and Controlling Fire Risk
No business activity is entirely risk-free. In terms of fire safety, identifying the potential risks and ensuring the right systems and process are in place should help to ensure that any subsequent fire can be controlled more quickly and more efficiently.
To reduce and prevent a fire occurring in the first place, the employer should:
The above is only an overview of an employers obligation under fire safety legislation. If you would like further advice on the workplace requirements for fire safety please contact us.
