Lifting the lid off the 
pressure cooker

Many employers will be of the opinion that their business will not suffer a fire and will view the newly revised Fire Safety Order as just another piece of legislation to comply with. It could be considered that complying to the Order is burdensome, as merely a management paper exercise, and some may fail to appreciate that meeting its requirements will ensure that fire risks are identified and adequate fire safety measures put in place.

A comprehensive fire risk assessment carried out by a competent person – as required by the Order – will help prevent fire threatening businesses and the lives of people on the site. The assessment process can also enable companies to streamline their business; provide clear guidelines for future evolvement; become the basis for a general disaster recovery plan; and identify immediate cost savings. Not bad for what some consider a burdensome exercise.

Benefits to the business
Through carrying out a risk assessment, a company will learn more about its people and business activity than before. Areas of wastage are identified, effectiveness and efficiency can be improved, and stock levels adjusted to reduce hazard levels, with the secondary benefit of reducing the amount of cash tied up in stock. At the same time, staff will appreciate the level of care being demonstrated towards their safety and job security, especially when the necessary training takes place.

Looking at risk
A fire risk assessment can provide a company with various business benefits and can also help identify possible cost savings:
Increased knowledge of the building layout and 
construction – space is always at a premium and 
a greater understanding of the building, coupled to the processes that go on inside it, might allow for improvements in layout and associated cost savings. It will also help when planning future expansions 
and alterations;

Detailed review of contents and activity – storage linked to layout might help streamline the operations within the business. A close look at activity and procedures usually helps identify areas of waste, resulting in  more cost savings;

Assessment of people and those most at risk – this area can overlap into ensuring compliance with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which will reduce the potential for complications later;

Insurance premium savings can be gained if a company’s detection or structural fire resistance is upgraded;

Training – the findings of the assessment (for example, photos showing a wedged-open fire door) can form the basis of a staff fire awareness training package;

There are potentially severe financial penalties if companies are successfully prosecuted for not 
complying with the Fire Safety Order;

If a company suffers a fire and has not carried out an adequate fire risk assessment, it might result in insurance payment problems;

By learning more about the building, facilities managers can better manage a repair programme because they have identified wear and tear at an earlier stage, achieving considerable cost savings in the process;

A highly visible and informative fire safety programme gives a good impression to customers, visitors and suppliers;

Updated drawings can assist future layout planning;

Targeting resources effectively can assist with post-fire recovery
There are links between fire safety and other health and safety issues. For example, the installation of an illuminated exit sign in a stairwell might prevent someone suffering a slip or trip, should power to the lights fail.

Upgrading the existing fire alarm system can achieve non-fire benefits from advances made in technology, for example, a detector which not only combines smoke, heat and carbon monoxide detection in one device can also picks up toxic gas emissions from faulty heating appliances, boilers and flues. Staff attack signals and bomb alerts can also be built into modern fire alarms, and a visible reduction can be seen in ongoing maintenance and repair charges.

Another issue to be considered is the reduction of false and unwanted alarms. Of particular interest is the Chief Fire Officers’ Association policy to issue every remotely monitored fire alarm system connected to an alarm receiving centre with a Unique Reference Number (URN). In recent years, regional fire services have begun to require premises that have false alarms to register their system and provide information about the system. Once registered, future false alarms performance will be monitored and, if the system fails to meet reasonable standards of reliability, the fire service may review the emergency response provided to unconfirmed signals. If a company is suffering above average levels of false alarms, it may want to speak to its insurers about their potential to suspend policy cover should the local fire service not want to turn out to another false alarm.

A further issue for consideration when carrying out a fire risk assessment is the DDA. With one-in-nine people suffering some form of hearing loss – often in the frequency range at which fire alarms operate – employers are required to make reasonable adjustment in anticipation of disabled people being in a building. Companies with staff or visitors who are disabled must look after them and get them out safely in the event of a fire.

Additional considerations linked to the fire and rescue service should be taken into account. As part of the integrated risk management planning now being undertaken by fire services, some redistribution of resources may increase a brigade’s response time to attend fires in remote, especially rural locations. As a result, the insurers have stated that premiums may have to rise for those risks. If a company’s risk assessment can prove that this factor has been taken into account and built into the fire safety plan, it may be a good bargaining tool to prevent an increase in insurance costs.

Recovery planning – next steps
Once the risk assessment phase is completed, many employers might think the next step is to file away the documentation until next year’s review. After all, as a result of the assessment process, the company has identified and reduced hazards, trained staff in fire awareness and evacuation, and managed the remaining risk. However, this is the wrong approach to take. Risk assessments must be frequently reviewed and changes to the building, operations or personnel taken into account. Furthermore, employers should consider how the business will recover if it suffers a fire or other emergency. 

Finally, companies should remember that training is vital for any plan to work. As with all aspects of business planning, the amount of time and expenditure invested has to be an acceptable ratio of risk to return. Effective training and planning will change the way people behave in a fire situation, minimising the likelihood of fire starting in the first place and ensuring those caught up in the fire react appropriately and it may also save a business some cash.

The fact that so many people take good fire protection for granted places huge responsibility on those who must ensure that the perception is indeed the reality. Regulators, risk assessors, insurers, specifiers, Fire Safety Officers as well as fire protection companies all have an important role to play in meeting the expectation of good fire protection.

Working with ADT, the leading security specialist, from the outset, buildings can be designed with systems that support safety, security and freedom.