The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the law that covers general fire safety in England and Wales.
In Scotland, Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 covers requirements on general fire safety, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
As employers (or building owners or occupiers) you're known as the ‘responsible person' and you must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and keep it up to date. Fire risk assessments can be carried out either as part of an overall health and safety risk assessment or as a separate exercise.
Based on the findings of the assessment, employers need to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire.
Your care home fire risk assessment should identify what could cause a fire to start, i.e. sources of ignition (heat or sparks) and substances that burn, and the people who may be at risk.
For full information on the fire safety law, please see the HSE page and the government's fire safety law and guidance documents for business pages.
As the responsible person you must:
carry out an assessment of the premises and review it regularly
tell staff or their representatives about the risks you've identified
put in place, and maintain appropriate fire safety measures
plan for an emergency
provide staff information, fire safety instruction and training
The purpose of a care home fire risk assessment is to identify the fire hazards, identify people at risk, evaluate, remove or reduce the risks, record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training and review and update regularly.
The assessor will reference a question template when completing the assessment, the completed report or survey can document the following examples.
For fire risk assessment guidance and recommended methodology, please see the PAS 79 Fire Risk Assessment documentation available at the British Standards Institution (BSI) website.
Including responsible person, competent persons, floors, lifts, basements and stairwells.
Including firefighting facilities, fire alarm system, extinguishers, fire blankets, fire hoses, sprinkler systems and extract systems.
Including sources of ignition, sources of fuel and sources of oxygen.
Including numbers of employees, guests, visitors, customers, contractors, patients and tenants and considerations made for mobility impairment, vision impairment, hearing impairment, lone workers, elderly persons, language, substance abuse, cognitive disability and young persons
Including measurements and travel distances.
It is common for an assessor to use a matrix for calculating risk in their report.
Including any problems identified and recommendations for fixing.
A fire risk assessor may ask for documents or take pictures while on your premises.
This standard is based on a number of quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach and continual improvement.
A framework that a company or organisation can follow to set up an effective environmental management system.
An internationally applied British Standard for occupational health and safety management systems.
The BAFE SP205 Scheme requires organisations to implement a documented management system (DMS).
The British Standards Institution (BSI) is a service organisation that produces standards across a wide variety of industry sectors. Its codes of practice and specifications cover management and technical subjects ranging from business continuity management to quality requirements.
The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is a professional and educational body, dedicated to the promotion of environmental health and to encourage the highest possible standards in the training and the work of environmental health professionals.
The register is only open to those health and safety consultants who have met specific standards within their professional bodies.
An industry standard for fire safety companies. It sets out criteria and requirements for not only the competency of those carrying out the risk assessments but the competency of those who review and 'sign off' the reports before they are issued.
The Institute of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO) maintain high professional standards amongst members.
The Institute of Fire Safety Managers is a professional body of highly respected individuals and companies who all share the same objective.
The IFE assesses knowledge of fire and professional experience, awarding internationally recognised membership grades and fire-related qualifications.
Barns, sheds, greenhouses, farmhouses and stables.
Banks, convention centers, forums, facilities management, garages, hotels, nightclubs, markets, high-rise buildings, resorts, shops, shopping malls, studios, supermarkets, warehouses and restaurants.
Blocks of flats, dormitories, houses, maisonettes, nursing homes, care homes, sheltered housing, town houses, landlords, guest houses, private dwellings, tenants, villas and bungalows.
Archives, colleges, classrooms, gymnasiums, institutions, libraries, museums, art galleries, theatres, concert halls, cinemas, schools, opera houses, universities and boarding schools.
Council, consulates, county, courthouses, embassies, fire stations, borough, general needs, local authority, local government, schemes, supported housing, parliament, police stations, post offices and prisons.
Breweries, factories, foundries and mills.
Barracks, bunkers and castles.
Churches, cathedrals, chapels, mosques, monasteries and temples.
Apartments, arenas, business, bed and breakfast, beauty salons, cafes, bookshops, clinics, clubs, community halls, construction sites, depots, day nurseries, department stores, dental practices, fast-food restaurants, sport stadiums, hairdressers, holiday homes, holiday lets, hospices, hospitals, leasehold properties, pubs, village halls, nuclear premises, ships, open air events, offices, workshops and the workplace.
We connect UK businesses, organisations and landlords with recommended and approved fire risk assessors.
We have built a reputation for ourselves through both our customer service and the standards
of our care home fire risk assessment. The fire risk assessors are experts in their field and
hold a vast range of different accreditations, certifications and qualifications.
We are an experienced team in the fire safety industry and have organised many single and multi-site projects. Our mission is to help clients stay compliant with fire safety laws and make fire risk assessments readily available nationwide.
Request a free quote with your requirements today. We look forward to hearing from you.