Fire Risk Assessment

A fire risk consultant will carry out a Fire Risk Assessment taking into account the risk to persons in the building. The risk assessment will identify the hazards and provide a clear breakdown of the remedial action plans required to resolve the issues, as well as advising on fire safety practices and management policies necessary to meet compliance requirements.

As such, assessments are conducted in five key steps:

• Identify the fire hazards
• Identify people at risk
• Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks
• Record findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training
• Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly

Our assessor will assess and review the entire site to identify any fire hazards or risks. They will review and assess then record any findings and advise on fire prevention.

We will identify people at risk, advise on management plans to remove, reduce and mitigate the fire risks. The risk assessor can also prepare emergency plans and provide training to all employees, helping to update and review fire risk assessments regularly. This approach can help prevent the loss of life, minimise the risk of damage by fire to the property or business, and maintain business continuity without a financial impact on the company.

A fire risk assessment should be carried out on all types of buildings (excluding domestic residential property) to ensure compliance in England and Wales with the Fire Safety Act 2021, The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, in Scotland with The Fire Safety Regulations 2006 (Scotland) and Northern Ireland with The Fire Safety Regulations 2010 (Northern Ireland).

The onus is on the responsible person or Duty Holder for the business – which could be the employer or self-employed person, the person responsible for all or part of a building which is solely for business purposes, or a contractor with a degree of control over the premises for life safety.

Whilst awareness of workplace health and safety is on the increase, too many organisations are still not aware of their legislative obligations. Many will turn to a third-party partner such as Bureau Veritas to support them in achieving and maintaining compliance.

Fire safety systems are designed to help protect people and property. It is essential to have a management fire policy in place, supported by a thorough maintenance and inspection programme, to mitigate the risk and prevent loss of life or assets in the event of fire breaking out. A Fire Risk Assessment covers a range of areas, including:

• Fire detection and warning system
• Means of escape
• Provision of fire-fighting equipment
• Planning for an emergency and training
• Fire risk factors and people at risk
• Maintenance and testing of fire safety equipment