What a coincidence. I was just about to open up a new topic when I saw this one. This link is hot off the press today and may just answer your question? Fire risk assessment competency criteria published 16 June 2011 http://www.info4fire.com...=1506&OmniLink_Label

Bob this is not a new Club. If you read the draft document you will see that it does not recommend membership of any 3rd party, just tries to explain competence regarding fra.

MB1 you could take this as embracing all types of cause of fire as mentioned in the guidance documents? "Appropriate guidance The fire risk assessor should have knowledge of the suites of guidance produced by the applicable government departments together with other guidance produced by industry, standards making bodies, etc. that apply to the premises on which the fire risk assessment is being carried out."

You are right messey, I did the same as you when I read through. I don't know what I don't know so this helps me to know what I need to know. Not a bad yardstick.

It all comes back to the fact that the FSO doesn't require an assessor to be competent. It's allows the RP some choice of how to comply, from a DIY job, to allowing a mate to help, and I actually quite like that freedom of choice If (say for the sake of argument) an amendment to the FSO does make it a requirement to use a 'listed' assessor, then what about Mr & Mrs Smith who run a corner shop and off licence? Is it reasonable for a very low risk premises to have to pay a 3rd party, when Mr Smith was formerly a surveyor/builder, or has a brother who is competent to help? Perhaps the way forward would be to have a legal threshold - similar to the Fire Precautions Act -which somehow draws a line in the sand by defining higher risk premises*. Only those premises must use a competent assessor and the RP must define in the FRA how he decided that the assessor was competent. This still allows the RP to choose someone from a register, or use another person that he (the RP) believes is competent - perhaps by referring the skills of that individual to a baseline list similar to that we are discussing on this thread. *Examples of higher risk might include medium to large sleeping risks (or risks under medium to large sleeping risks) and those with large quantities of dangerous substances. MartinW. You are right about the old grey matter being whittled away by age. Mrs Messy has now written my name & address on a tag inside the back of my coat in case I forget where I live. But will I remember the tag is there?!!! :)