SMSE Fire Risk assessors have extensive fire risk assessment experience and are knowledgeable Fire Safety Consultants providing professional and competent fire risk assessments in Leeds, York, Bradford, Hull and across Yorkshire, as well as throughout the UK.
Our experienced fire risk assessment specialists are Members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and Chartered Safety and Health Practitioners (CMIOSH), as well as Members of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (MIIRSM) and are trained to standards approved by the Institute of Fire Engineers, and the Fire Protection Authority.
If you own or occupy a premises that people work in, you need a fire risk assessment. Recent changes to the law mean that all business premises need a written fire risk assessment. Like a lot of things, you may be sitting there thinking “I know the risks, it’s not that big of a deal!”. But you’d be wrong. A fire safety risk assessment shouldn’t be considered an optional thing, it is now a legal requirement for all fire risk assessments to be recorded. If the worst were to happen an already existing hazard that you weren’t aware of causes a devastating fire you’ll wish you’d thought about an appropriate assessment sooner so that you fire safety provisions put in place quicker, to avoid this.
In addition to thinking you should have one, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes it compulsory by law for every business to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment overview. Previoulsy ,if you employed 5 people or more, you were required to produce a written Fire Risk Assessment immediately, however this now applies to all premises, regardless of the number of people employed.
All business premises and residential flats require an appropriate Fire Risk Assessment.
A fire risk assessment is a systematic evaluation of your premises and the activities carried out within it in order to identify potential fire hazards, those who may be affected by a fire and the consequences if a fire were to occur. It provides a snapshot of how protected any given property is to ensure the safety of its occupants in the event of a fire.
A fire risk assessment is an essential part of managing a property and the first step to safeguarding your premises from a fire.
A fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for all business premises. In compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into effect in October 2006, a fire risk assessment is necessary for all non-domestic buildings in England and Wales. This was recently updated by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Act 2022 .
There are plenty of benefits to having a professional fire risk assessor visit your premises. Here are just a few:
Fire safety risk assessments are intended to be dynamic and take into account change. However, fire risk assessments should still be reviewed from time to time, especially in the following scenarios:
It’s always good practice to review your fire risk assessments frequently to make sure your business (and employees) remain safe and compliant.
The overall purpose of a Fire Risk Assessment is to make you aware of fire safety measures that you need to take to ensure that people on your premises are going to be safe and that they’re going to comply
If you don’t fully comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the Fire Brigade can give you one of three different notices.
This is a notice that is sent to the Responsible or Competent Person. The notice informs this person that the relevant local Fire Authority has deemed that they have failed to comply with the provisions of the Fire Safety Order 2005.
This is more of a document and it states that the local Fire Authority is of the opinion that a potential change to premises may cause a fire risk. The notice must state the specific matter which constitutes such a risk. The responsible person must notify the enforcing authority of the proposed changes.
If an authority believes that this use of a premise may cause potential harm to people in such a serious way that they believe the building has to be restricted in use or closed entirely.
A competent person is defined as someone who has sufficient training, experience and or knowledge that will allow them to carry out health and safety duties properly. A key trait of this role is that it usually comes from within the organisation, rather than recruiting someone specifically for that role. This role is usually subsidiary to the role that they are paid to do.
During a fire risk assessment, you should pay mind to the competence of relevant employees, this will help you determine the kind of info and training you’ll need to provide. When we talk about competence, it should only be thought of in proportion to the job they do. For example, someone who works in an office does not need the same level of competence as someone who works on a construction site.
There are no defined criteria of responsibilities, a competent person must be capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in their workplace, they are then given the authority to ensure corrective measures are put in place to prevent that. For instance, if they saw an area of an office that had a lot of plugs that had extension leads and was full of wires etc, this could be considered a fire hazard (overuse of sockets can cause dangerous electrical fires), they could take action to distribute the cables and wires more efficiently, thus reducing the risk.
In a practical sense, ask the following questions to yourself when considering if someone if ‘competent’ or ‘responsible’:
In short, yes. If you’re not seen to have sufficient fire safety measures, fire safety equipment and relevant fire safety features then it stands to reason that insurers will be hesitant to pay out should the worst happen to your premises. Furthermore, you can expect extremely high fines and even imprisonment if you fail to comply at all with the Regulatory Reform Order. Insurance on office premises, construction sites or any other commercial building will likely only be paid if you have documented evidence that you had appropriate fire safety measures in place to mitigate any risk.
No one expects you to be completely fireproof, not all risk can be prevented. Sometimes accidents do just happen and they’re of nobody’s fault. What is important is showing that you had all the appropriate physical and legal measures in place to reduce the risk of a fire as much as physically possible. Did you have fire doors appropriately placed, were smoke alarms fitted and regularly tested, we’re the communal areas outside that people could go to in the event of a fire to be registered, where vulnerable people were protected. All these things are there to ensure that if fire risk was done properly and the fire did still occur, you’d receive financial remuneration.
Our fire safety specialists have conducted countless fire risk assessments on a wide range of buildings, including:
A fire risk assessment involves a physical inspection of the building to determine the adequacy of the existing fire precautions and the need for any additional fire prevention measures.
Another important aspect of a fire risk assessment is a review of fire safety management within your organisation and consideration of the human factors, such as how people will respond to an emergency and whether they will take appropriate action.
We also visually identify existing fire detection systems, electrical equipment and emergency escape lighting. Where appropriate, we would identify the need for any further engineering evaluation on these systems, which we would be able to carry out if required.
A fire risk assessment covers:
Our fire risk assessor will gather all the information they need, including plans and schematic diagrams. Any existing plans which are available will aid the fire risk assessment process, including written records of any existing fire precautions such as weekly fire alarm tests, emergency lighting and portable appliance tests. Our fire risk assessor will also conduct interviews with your staff who are responsible for the management of fire safety.
Our fire risk assessor will then compile the fire risk assessment management report. The report covers all aspects required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and is put together in a smart bound report with colour illustrations. Where appropriate, the report will be provided with full site schematics (showing all existing fire precautions), a full fire risk evaluation guide, a clear colour-coded prioritised action plan and suggested timescales.
All of our fire risk assessment reports are clear, easy to understand and unambiguous while providing practical solutions to reduce the risk of a fire in your workplace. The report will also assess and audit the suitability of existing measures and make recommendations on any actions identified. Where appropriate, the report will follow the PAS79:2021 format.
If you’re looking for a professional fire risk assessment at a reasonable price in the Leeds area, look no further than SMSE. SMSE based in perfectly to serve both the city of Leeds and Greater West Yorkshire area, as well as York, North Yorkshire and beyond.
With over 30 years of experience, we’re one of the most knowledgeable and longest-established Health & Safety consultants in the North of England. With a team of friendly and passionate Chartered Health & Safety practitioners, we pride ourselves on delivering fire risk assessments that are comprehensive, compliant and of the highest quality.
You don’t have to take our word for it, though — just take a look at what some of our many happy clients have to say about us!
At SMS Europe, we understand that every building and business premise is unique, especially when it comes to the risk of fire. That’s why our fire risk assessment service is tailored to your company’s individual needs and requirements. Our bespoke approach ensures that our fire risk assessment is suitable and sufficient.
We’re based in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire and have been delivering fire risk assessments in Leeds, York, Harrogate and Bradford, as well as the rest of Yorkshire and the UK, since 1993. With a local team of friendly, helpful and professional risk assessors, you can rest assured that you’re in safe hands with SMS Europe.
To book a fire risk assessment for your business premises, get in touch with us on 0845 224 0028 or at [email protected].
Philip Marsden of SMS Europe Health and Safety Consultants appears on BBC Look North discussing rising accident statistics for Yorkshire and Humberside. SMS Europe is a Health and Safety consultancy based in Yorkshire, and located between Leeds York and Harrogate. Our Health and Safety advisers and consultants work nationwide and can…
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Leeds — serving Yorkshire & UK-wide
Philip Marsden of SMS Europe Health and Safety Consultants appears on BBC Look North discussing rising accident statistics for Yorkshire and Humberside. SMS Europe is a Health and Safety consultancy based in Yorkshire, and located between Leeds York and Harrogate. Our Health and Safety advisers and consultants work nationwide and can…
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