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Many buildings lie vacant, meaning assessors simply need to show up in their PPE and conduct the assessment under social distancing guidelines. Technology can also play an important role, by ensuring a building’s safety systems are in order through remote diagnostic tools. Some assessors can even carry out a vast majority of the assessment virtually, examining floorplans, exit routes, and tech stacks from the comfort of their own homes. That said, many businesses won’t have the latest IoT sensors needed to notify FMs on the condition of a building’s physical aspects, such as occupancy levels, open fire doors or signage.
The purpose of a fire risk assessment is to provide FMs with the knowledge they need to ensure their business and assets remain safe and secure, should the worst happen. Covid has not put a stop to this – distraction has. The onus is on FMs to put fire safety back on the priority list.
Remote Work Will Change Fire Safety Forever The changes ushered in by the pandemic will continue to impact the way we conduct business for years to come. For example, the success of the great work-from-home experiment will see many companies questioning whether they even need all of their office floorspace.
The decisions that follow will have a knock-on effect, as company- wide remote work policies take fire regulations into the home. Elsewhere, the closure of many high street stores will see these buildings put to different use – and such developments will be accompanied by the associated regulatory changes. It’s likely the way we live, work, and play in buildings will have drastically changed in five years’ time. So too will the way we stay safe in the event of fire.
Nobody wants to think they’ll be affected by a fire situation, so people tend to take a chance on fire safety. But when livelihoods and lives are at stake, this approach simply won’t suffice. While it’s unsurprising that FMs’ working lives have been dominated by Covid, the safety of people and assets is too important to drop off the radar. More must be done to raise awareness when it comes to fire safety, it can’t slip through the net any longer.
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