Any building that has occupants, be it a residential property or workplace, must undergo a fire risk assessment (FRA) to ensure the safety of those inside the building. This will include checking fire exits, any fire hazards, measures currently in place, and more, to make sure the premises have an acceptable level of fire safety. Who is responsible for completing a fire risk assessment, though? Continue reading to discover who the Fire Safety Order responsible person is.
What is a fire risk assessment?
Typically, there are five steps in a fire risk assessment and they are:
- Identify the fire hazards
- Identify people at risk
- Evaluate, remove or reduce risks
- Record the findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training
- Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly
The first part of a fire risk assessment or HMO fire risk assessment is to identify any fire hazards, which includes flammable liquids or chemicals and how they’re stored.
The next step is to consider the people who are at risk and their exits in case of a fire. Do the fire doors work? Is there an adequate emergency exit plan in place. Are there any fire safety points for staff to exit to?
The emergency plan should include meeting points, exit door locations and what to do if the doors are blocked or obstructed in another way.
Completing a fire risk assessment is required by law and the person responsible for conducting the FRA has to do it within the guidelines set by the government. But who is responsible for the fire risk assessment?
Who is responsible for completing a fire risk assessment?
The UK government regulations state that if you are one of the following, you’re the Fire Safety Order responsible person to carry out the fire risk assessment.
- An employer
- The business owner
- The landlord
- The occupier
- Anybody else in control of the premises (building manager, facilities manager, managing agent, risk assessor)
A person – whether that’s the employer or business owner – is responsible for a fire risk assessment taking place in a building that is used for non-domestic purposes.
For residential properties, the landlord or occupier is the responsible person in ensuring that the building is up to date with its fire safety regulations.
This person can carry out the FRA themselves or can hire a company – like NW Fire Solutions – to do it for them.
Using a fire risk assessor does cost money but there are several benefits to using a professional to perform the assessment. For example, the responsible party can relax and have peace of mind knowing the assessment will be as thorough as possible.
What must the responsible person do?
Once the fire risk assessment has been carried out, the person responsible must review it on a regular basis. Staff must be told about any risks discovered from the assessment and the fire safety measures put in place. Moving forward, the safety measures must be maintained.
Also, a plan for any emergencies must be put in place to ensure the safety of the building’s occupants.
Fire risk assessments with NW Fire Solutions
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for most types of buildings used as a place of work or residential buildings made up of more than a single dwelling. The fire safety risk assessment may reveal a need for other fire safety surveys, such as a fire compartmentation survey.
If you’re unable to perform the fire risk assessment yourself, all NW Fire Solutions assessors have extensive fire safety experience in a variety of building types, so you can rest assured that any hazards will be identified. We also provide all of our customers with access to both our job and risk assessment software portals at no additional cost to assist with the management of planning and any ongoing actions.
For more information, or if you’d like NW Fire Solutions to perform a fire risk assessment on your premises, contact us today on 0151 665 0124 or email us at info@nwfiresolutions.co.uk.