As the Responsible Person for a school or commercial business, you may think you already know everything there is to know about Fire Risk Assessments. On the other hand, you may be completely overwhelmed!
Here are the basic steps you need to follow to comply with the law.
You can do the Risk Assessment yourself with the help of standard Fire Risk Assessment guides. But when you don't have the expertise or time to do so, you need to call in a third party expert to do it for you. This means a company who are fully trained, qualified and compliant with the law, covering areas such as: fire protection for businesses. These experts will assess potential fire hazards, evaluate the effectiveness of existing safety measures, and provide recommendations to improve overall fire safety. By utilizing professional services, you ensure that your premises are fully compliant with regulations and that your staff, assets, and operations are well protected against fire risks.
Your local fire and rescue authority can give you advice on whether or not your assessment is being carried out correctly, however, they cannot carry out the assessment for you.
In the case of a school or commercial premises, where more than 5 persons are present in the building, you need to make a record of the Risk Assessment which needs to be regularly updated.
After complying with the law regarding the Assessment itself, you then have to follow up on any recommendations. This is the bit where people often go wrong.
It can be tempting to source a less expensive fire installer to save some cash. And it's much easier to ask the electrician who is already doing some work in your school or office. But you need to understand the potential ramifications of this decision. By hiring an unaccredited installer you could pay more in the long run.
"I can save a lot of money by getting the local electrician to fit the emergency lights!"
But how can you be sure that the electrician you hire to install your emergency lighting is fitting the correct equipment in accordance with Emergency Lighting Regulations?
No matter how convenient it may seem, choosing the wrong installer could cost your school or business in the long run. In the worst case scenario, it could even land you in jail. Follow through on your Fire Risk Assessment in the right way, not the easy way.
To mitigate risk fully, you absolutely must look for an installer with the the correct accreditation, and a certificate to prove it.
Blake's always meet or exceed the latest quality standards. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see our credentials for yourself!
You must have heard the term "you get what you pay for"...
The role of Responsible Person is not easy, there's so much legal jargon!
We've made an easy to understand guide that outlines some of the main issues you need to know about and how to act on them to avoid legal issues.
Click the image below to get your free copy.
