FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT - 29.03.2010

Is a new standard for fire risk assessment on the cards?

What’s started the rumours?

There’s growing unease in the fire community that safety standards in workplaces are slipping. And it’s being blamed on the new fire safety regime, i.e. the scrapping of Fire Certificates in favour of fire risk assessment. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) brought in greater self-regulation, with all employers deciding for themselves what fire safety measures were needed, rather than relying on the Fire & Rescue Service (FRS) to do this for them.

Too little

But some think that recent tragedies show that this light-touch approach to regulation isn’t working and that the new regime is leading to the spread of complacency. Take the Penhallow Hotel fire in 2007, in which three people died. The coroner’s inquest heard that the fire precautions fell far below the government guidance of the time. And in July 2009 there was a fire at a block of flats in London - Lakanhal House - in which six died. These are just two examples of cases which have prompted the review.

Under pressure

Back in 2006, in an effort to show that the new regulatory regime wasn’t going to cost organisations lots of money to implement, the Communities and Local Government Department issued guidance encouraging managers to carry out their own fire risk assessments. But notably, it didn’t include information to help businesses find a competent fire risk assessor. What’s more, it didn’t really say when they should look for one either.

Quality

The Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor’s report, following Lakanhal, recommended that more be done to help businesses know whether their assessments were good enough. It’s likely that this will involve new guidance on the competence of fire risk assessors, particularly those selling consultancy services.

Tip 1. It’s probable that in the future there will be new guidance to help you find a competent fire risk assessor if you need one, but the government will still encourage lower risk businesses to complete their own assessments.

Tip 2. Fire risk assessments can take many forms, provided they cover the key points. That won’t change because the needs of different businesses vary so much. So if your fire risk assessment has been done properly, it’s unlikely there will be any need to re-write it, even if new guidance is produced.

One register

At present there are several registers of fire risk assessors, and each of these schemes has a number of hoops for individuals to climb through to demonstrate that they’re up to the job. The word is that there may be a single register in the future. However, in the meantime:

Tip. If you feel that you need some expert assistance with your fire risk assessment, choose an assessor who is registered on one of the recognised schemes, such as with the Institution of Fire Engineers (see The next step).

For further information on recognised schemes, visit http://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk (HS 08.14.03).