Don’t leave it ‘til the heat is on
Landlords shouldn’t firefight unforeseen problems when it comes to fire risk prevention but instead keep the focus on long-term solutions, according to Steve Martin of the Electrical Contractors' Association.
include damage to property, homelessness and a feeling of uncertainty and disorientation while alternative accommodation is arranged. For landlords, the consequences of a fire breaking out and spreading can
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range from liability for civil or criminal prosecution to reputational damage – particularly if steps could and should have been taken to prevent fires happening or limit the damage done by them. In some cases, this might be easier said than done. After all, very few fires
are started deliberately, and in many cases it’s hard to ascertain what caused one to start in the first place. The latest statistics from the London Fire Brigade show that there may be common causes of accidental fires in dwellings – with the most common being smokers’ material and cooking appliances – but the very nature of accidental fires means there's very little that can be done to prevent them starting.
Adequate fire systems
Steps can be taken to limit the damage caused by them and to minimise the risk of them spreading, and the first of these is to ensure the building in question is equipped with properly commissioned, installed and maintained fire systems that detect the early warning of fire and alert the building’s occupiers when one starts. This point is even more important when the building houses vulnerable people, who may need the additional time for evacuation that these systems can allow.
Know your responsibility
This sounds like a simple statement, but it’s one that doesn't always move from an aspiration to a reality. Limited finances, coupled with a lack of knowledge among building managers and specifiers of their legal obligations, can sometimes lead to installers being asked to carry out work
he effects of a fire on the residents of any large scale building are serious and far reaching. Loss of life, injury and psychological trauma are the three most commonly associated, but other consequences
outside their area of expertise. This in turn can result in the wrong systems being commissioned and installed – a scenario which may have serious consequences for a building's occupants and owners if a fire breaks out, and may panic and irritate residents if a malfunctioning fire system leads to an unnecessary evacuation, particularly if it occurs at night. It might surprise you to learn that the responsibility for having the right
systems commissioned and installed lies firmly with the building’s owner, as they would be classed as the Responsible Person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In addition, the latest version of the Construction Design and Management (CDM) 2015 Regulations, which came into force in April, made it a legal requirement for the clients in construction projects - by which I mean the organisation who commissions the project, which includes maintenance of systems – to ensure the contractors working on it have the relevant ‘skills, knowledge and experience’ within their discipline to carry out the work and ensure the systems installed perform their required function.
Use accredited contractors
Evidence of this can be obtained in a variety of ways, but probably the most effective method is to specify contractors who have relevant third party accreditation – formal recognition from an independent third party of their ability to perform specific tasks. This process provides a way of confirming the contractor meets certain requirements in order to reduce everyone’s risk. This is something the HSE recommends as part of the CDM Regulations –
particularly if clients are looking to either discharge their duties or appoint a principal contractor to oversee their project team. It also allows clients to discharge and fulfil their obligations as the Duty Holder under the Electricity at Work Regulations, which require them or their designated Duty Holder to ensure that all risks are effectively managed. Failure to do so can be punished by unlimited fines, criminal prosecution (as can breaches of the
www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM November 2016 | 37
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