Health & Safety Services
Fire Risk Assessment
A fire risk assessment is used as a preventative tool. It will help protect your premises and people from a fire. It must be completed by a Competent Person.
Ablemarsh are independent health and safety consultants and we have provided comprehensive fire risk assessment services to a variety of businesses for over a decade now, helping them comply with UK fire safety regulations.
We take a careful look at your premises, and the people who use them. It's about understanding the potential risks, then improving your fire safety procedures to keep people, and your building, safe.
Our Fire Risk Assessment generally involves a thorough inspection of your building, or area, looking for potential sources of ignition, fuel sources and fire spread routes. Based on our inspection, our fire risk assessors then help you to identify measures that can be taken to prevent or minimise the risk of fire.
We also take into account the people who use the building or area, including their ability to evacuate it in the event of a fire.
The (FSA) Fire Safety Act 2021, clarifies that the Fire Safety Order 2005, applies to all premises, including workplaces and the common parts of all multi-occupied residential buildings.
Fire Safety Regulations
The Grenfell Tower fire has really put a spotlight on fire safety regulations, and rightly so.
The regulations, which came into force on the 23rd January 2023, seek to improve the fire safety of blocks of flats in ways which are practical, cost effective for individual leaseholders, and proportionate to the risk of fire.
It also applies to a building’s structure, external walls (including cladding and balconies) and any common parts of premises, including all flat entrance doors for buildings containing two or more sets of domestic premises.
In addition, a responsible person is required to take certain steps to ensure the safety of residents.
Is a competent person and a responsible person the same?
A Fire Risk Assessment should be carried out by a competent person. Who has the knowledge, skills and expertise to identify potential fire hazards, assess the risks associated with those hazards and make recommendations for improving fire safety.
Our fire risk assessors are trained as a competent person and have years of experience with a range of qualifications appropriate for different industries and circumstances. We are proud members of the Fire Protection Association and the Institute of Fire Safety Managers.
A responsible person is the person who is responsible for the safety of themselves and others who use a regulated premises.
This is normally a building owner, building manager, or in residential properties, any other person in control of the premises. The responsible person is the person who carries out the duties set out in the Fire Safety Order.
What are the Responsible Persons duties?
In all multi-occupied residential buildings
Regardless of the height of a residential building, residents of all blocks of flats and other multi-occupied residential buildings with common parts, the responsible person must provide residents with fire safety instructions and information about the importance of fire doors.
Residential buildings over 11 metres in height
For multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres in height, the responsible person must undertake quarterly checks on all communal fire doors and annual checks on flat entrance doors. They must also provide residents with fire safety instructions and information about the importance of a fire door and fire exit.
High-rise residential buildings
For multi-occupied high-rise residential buildings (at least 18 metres in height or 7 or more storeys, which is the height in England that has been commonly used to define a high-rise building). Building standards become more restrictive and fire-fighting tactics change.
Here the responsible person must provide additional safety measures by law:
Fire safety procedures: provide relevant fire safety procedures to their residents, which will include instructions on how to report a fire and any other instruction which sets out what a resident must do once a fire has occurred, based on the evacuation strategy for the building.
Fire door and Fire Exit: undertake annual checks of flat entrance doors and quarterly checks of all fire doors in the common parts and provide residents with information relating to the importance of fire doors and fire exits in fire safety.
Building plans and floor plans: provide the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) with up-to-date electronic copies of floor plans and building plans, and assist them to plan and, if needed, provide an effective operational response.
External walls: share electronically with their local fire and rescue service (FRS) information about the building’s external wall system, including the design and materials used, any material changes to these walls, the level of risk that the design and materials of the external wall structure gives rise to, and any mitigating steps taken.
Premises Information boxes: install and maintain a secure information box which is accessible to firefighters. This box must contain the name and contact details of the responsible person, identify key firefighting equipment, and contain hard copies of the building floor plans in addition to a single page plan of the building (these need to be laminated), and also provide PEEPS for any of the respective residents.
Fire Safety Signs and Symbols: to install fire signage, including wayfinding signage that is visible in low light or smoky conditions that identifies flat and floor numbers in the stairwells of relevant buildings.
Lifts and other key firefighting equipment: The responsible person should undertake monthly checks on the operation of lifts intended for use by firefighters, and evacuation lifts in their building, and check the functionality of other essential pieces of fire fighting equipment. They will also need to inform the FRS if a lift used by firefighters, or one of the pieces of fire fighting equipment, is out of action and the fault cannot be fixed within 24 hours.
What happens during a fire risk assessment?
When carrying out a Fire Risk Assessment we record our findings by talking to the relevant people who use the building, taking pictures and making detailed notes.
Once the assessment is complete, we will produce a report detailing our findings, including recommendations and ways to improve on fire safety. These may include measures such as fire alarm installation, sprinkler systems, fire doors, fire exit, emergency lighting and ways to improve on evacuation procedures.
We may also look at training on fire safety for your staff or responsible person.
It is really important to carry out fire risk assessments regularly. Especially if any changes have occurred such as a new building layout, new equipment or materials, changes in the way the building is being used or changes in staff and their training needs.
We conduct fire risk assessments for businesses, offices, residential buildings, flats, HMOs (houses in multiple occupation), and residential blocks, events and public spaces.
Book your Fire Risk Assessment today
Our Popular Fire Safety Packages
Our clients often tell us that they would benefit from a package of our fire safety services, rather than using each service individually. That’s why we have put together our most popular fire safety services into easy-to-understand packages for you here.
Fire Safety
Essential
£60/month
Fire Safety
Enhanced
£90/month
Most Popular