Key Takeaways
- Otley Fire Risk Assessments are essential for identifying fire risks and ensuring safety for occupants of non-domestic properties.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 mandates fire risk assessments for all commercial and public premises.
- Businesses with five or more employees must document their fire risk assessment findings and can access free resources for guidance.
- Key areas in fire risk assessments include fire detection systems, emergency exits, and the needs of vulnerable individuals.
- Changes in occupancy or activities must reflect in updated fire risk assessments to maintain compliance and safety.
Otley Fire Risk Assessments
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. This is where the fire risk assessment comes in. A legal demand for all ‘non-domestic’ premises, fire risk assessments (or FRAs) are a snapshot of how protected any given property is. This ensures the safety of its occupants in the event of a fire. The FRA also identifies corrective actions. Furthermore, it outlines 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 ensure appropriate fire safety. These steps should be taken at all times. The segment within the legislation focussing on fire risk assessments opens with the following:
Risk assessment
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, and warehouses. It also applies to schools, nursing homes, and businesses providing sleeping accommodation. Additionally, it covers sheltered housing and the communal areas of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). However, it does not apply to the individual dwellings within the HMO.
Businesses
For businesses employing five or more employees, there is a legal requirement to carry out a fire risk assessment. They must also document the findings in writing. Fire Risk Assessments can be carried out by the organisation or business affected. There are official fire risk assessment help guides available. Furthermore, FRA forms can be downloaded for free from a number of sources.
However, if you have doubts about your ability to carry out an FRA, it is highly recommended to engage a professional fire risk assessor. This ensures compliance with all relevant regulations.
Areas to be considered
Areas that need to be considered in almost all fire risk assessments include fire detection systems, emergency exits and routes, and firefighting equipment. Additionally, the availability of information and advice to the building’s occupants is important.
Issues such as the specific needs of vulnerable people and the safe storage of any dangerous substances must also be considered. However, these may not always be a relevant factor for the fire risk assessment depending on the use of the building.
Please note that any changes to the occupancy or activities within premises must be reflected in the fire risk assessment. This means the document should be reviewed regularly and updated if needed.
Our fire risk assessors are based in Leeds and Bradford. They can perform a range of fire safety duties. These include: fire risk assessments, fire extinguisher servicing and supply, fire door inspections, and PAT Testing.