BSEE FIRE SAFETY
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BUILDING IN COMPLIANCE Grenfell’s impact on fire regulaon
Post Grenfell, the way that fire regulaons are phrased, enforced and reviewed is under scruny – with good reason. Although there is a desire to ensure that eecve changes are put in place, many Brish companies are not even aware of the legal requirements they face, writes Peter Lackey, Fire Manager at Johnson Controls.
A
significant problem for many companies is that fire regulations have been introduced and applied piecemeal over the years. As a result, most companies have organically developed their own commitment to fire safety. If real change is to happen, a top-to-bottom overhaul of the way companies understand and implement fire safety regulations is needed.
Updang regulaons
For example, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states that the fire risk assessment must be ‘suitable and sufficient’. This is the start point for determining a bespoke fire safety strategy, which must be designed to protect people, buildings and jobs. In other words, how many assume they may have a fire and actually include business continuity planning as part of that process?
The person conducting the assessment must possess the necessary skills, experience, training and qualifications to be competent in assessing the specific aspects of the risk under review. Preparation is key if companies are to get ahead of the curve and provide top-level fire safety at an achievable outlay. It’s up to individual companies to change the way they approach fire safety and ensure that they can keep occupants as far from danger as possible.
What should a risk assessment cover?
You need to conduct regular fire risk assessments of the entire building. From the furthest reach of the building to the place of ultimate safety, you need to have considered every potential hindrance and risk to give you the best chance of protecting your building occupants. That leads us into the question of how to select a competent fire risk assessor. There isn’t a black and white choice between a satisfactory balance sheet and the safety of employees and the local community. By working with an expert fire risk assessor, businesses can achieve regulatory compliance and desirable safety levels on a workable budget through a combination of intelligent consultancy and expertise.
In the rush to avoid repeating past mistakes, there is certainly a risk that some fire safety teams may settle for less well-resourced assessors, or those without the expertise required to effectively and safely discern the conditions of the building, just to make sure that something is done. To avoid this, companies should be looking for professional organisations with a proven track record of successful assessments – who should be product agnostic – to conduct the review.
Many organisations don’t realise that it’s a legal requirement under Article 17 of the FSO (and its equivalent in Scotland and Northern Ireland), to have all building systems maintained. Anything connected to, and which forms part of, the overall fire safety strategy (CCTV for arson deterrent, access control door unlocking in the event of a fire, and so on), must be maintained – competently. A valued and reputable register of competent fire risk assessors can be found within the ranks of the Institute of Fire Engineers – look for the tick box which states that the assessor is qualified in life safety and property protection.
34 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JULY 2018
The detail should give consideration to those most at risk (disabled persons), fitted systems, avoidance of false alarms, hot works, visitors, training, evacuation planning, fire wardens and marshals, water sources, maintenance, signalling and fire brigade response right through to recovery and salvage plans if a fire occurs.
The hidden benefits of a good fire risk assessment
When done properly, a thorough fire risk assessment of your premises will allow you to understand your business in more detail than ever before; which can help to manage budgets, efficiency and assist with future planning and change.
A good fire risk assessment can be very literally the difference between life and death. In the year ending September 2017, Fire and Rescue services attended over 170,000 fires in the UK, and there were 346 fatalities at home and at work as a result (including 71 in the Grenfell Tower disaster – details of which are available on the
Gov.UK fire statistics page).
The better your assessment, the more well-equipped you’ll be to plan your evacuation procedure, as well as to locate and maintain your detection and suppression systems. A regularly-updated fire risk assessment is the key to understanding the potential pitfalls of your building, whether that’s narrow staircases, a small number of exterior exit points or simply a need for more alarm call points. Above all, you’ll be better able to draft a well-informed evacuation plan to ensure that all occupants know what’s required of them in the event of a fire. These are often deceptively simple – exit the building via a certain staircase, for example – but in the split-second moment of decision, simplicity is what’s needed, based on careful thought and evaluation.
Not only that, but the ability to plan effectively will help you to look after the bottom line without sacrificing due diligence. The worry has been voiced that sweeping changes in fire regulations will cost the earth because they will be too quick – when faced with a whole new raft of purchases and process updates, it can feel daunting and expensive.
However, by beginning now and making sure you have a comprehensive understanding of your facility’s strengths and weaknesses with regard to fire safety, you’ll be able to get at least a basic understanding of what’s going to need changing, allowing you to plan in any necessary expense and review multiple tenders to get the best price. Change is coming, and companies of all sizes and shapes need to get ready. Prepare by carrying out a wide-ranging, well-resourced fire risk assessment. Work with the right partner – one that has a proven record of success and access to a broad array of services. Above all, treat fire safety with the respect that it deserves – there’s much to be gained, and much to be lost.
‘ When done
properly, a thorough fire risk assessment of your premises will allow you to understand your business in more detail than ever before; which can help to manage budgets, eciency and assist with future planning and change.
’
www.johnsoncontrols.com/en_gb VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
www.bsee.co.uk
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