It is a fact of life that wherever you are, you risk fire. Certainly some places have a greater risk than others, but even in the moors there is a risk of fire. Just a few days ago there was a fire in Oldham with 35 firefighters on the scene overnight. They managed to turn it off, but that was before the end of February! Even at sea in a small boat, you risk a spark if something goes wrong with the engine. Well, the risk may not be good, but there is still some element, and it happens.
Therefore, if you own a company and employ five or more people, the law requires that you conduct a fire risk assessment and take all steps you can to (a) prevent fires and (b) ensure all evacuates that are safely explode. Nor is it just about business. You could have a church or a chapel, for example. There may still be a risk of fire, even if it is small. You are not legally required to do a fire risk assessment in such buildings, but it would be a good idea to do so.
The problem with doing a fire risk assessment is that the vast majority of employers and employers really have no idea how to do it. Unless you have special training, how will you know all the possible risks? However, the law in its current form obliges you to do just that and keep a record of your findings and of any actions you have taken as a result.
Well, some things can be obvious, like keeping flammable liquids like gasoline or oil away from the area where your employees are welding, which creates a lot of sparks. However, many things are not obvious to the inexperienced eye. You can honestly assess the big risk for your company, but you could easily overlook something critical simply because you don’t understand it. Don't get us wrong: the law is sensible. But it does not take into account the true ignorance that blames no one.
Fire risk assessment is also not only considered a fire risk. You also have to think about what happens if a fire breaks out. How do people get out of the building? And disabled people? Are there enough signs showing the emergency exits? Are the roads to a fire exit as short and cluttered as possible most used by humans? Are the fire doors closing properly? If you don’t have fire doors, should you install them? Do your staff know what to do if a fire breaks out? Are they trained in the use of firefighting equipment? Do you have the right firefighting equipment first?
These are just SOME of the things you realize when you are an employer. There are many more. That’s why many companies today benefit from a fire risk assessment from someone who knows what they’re doing and has received the proper training. It’s a specialty just like the mechanic who takes care of your Ferrari is a specialist or the electrician who repairs your home is a specialist.
Ah! But what about the cost of the fire risk assessment? We can hear him ask. Of course there is a cost, as well as a cost for any other service. Will you fix your own Ferrari? Or even your Ford Focus? Not very likely. Keep your own car, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you could end up in a serious car accident.
The same goes for the cost of a fire risk assessment. If you try to do it yourself, you could end up in a situation where you have a fire and that costs your life. One of those lives could easily be yours.