You’ll no doubt have heard someone utter with a weary sigh, “it’s health and safety gone mad.”
And you might find yourself agreeing with it at times, too. Especially if it feels like you’re putting in too much effort on legislation that has seemingly little value to your business.
But, as the recent tragic events at Grenfell Tower in London remind us, we have health & safety legislation for a reason. Cutting corners—especially with fire risks—can be disastrous.
Businesses large and small need strict and extensive fire safety regulations. If a fire authority officer visited you today, would you cope with an interrogation about your duties and procedures?
Don’t worry if you’re unsure. Here’s some of what you need to know…
Your responsibilities
As the employer or owner of a business (or other organisation with public access), you’re the responsible person for fire safety and you must:
- Complete a fire risk assessment of the premises and review it regularly
- Let staff or their representatives know about any risks you identify
- Provide and maintain fire safety measures such as alarms and extinguishers etc.
- Plan for an emergency
- Provide employees with information, fire safety instruction and training
- Provide people using the premises with fire safety information
Ongoing management
Business fire safety never stops. New dangers crop up all the time, so you should continue to look for them every day. Here are some of the ways how:
- Make sure your emergency fire doors are unlocked with no obstructions on either side
- Keep internal fire doors maintained, closed and fitted with self-closing devices.
- Make sure that fire exit routes are clearly marked or signed
- Keep fire exit routes free from obstruction at all times.
- Don’t fill exit routes with flammable materials
- Test your fire alarm. Can you hear it everywhere and above background noise?
- Check that your emergency lighting works
- Put fire extinguishers in place and ready for use
- Keep flammable liquids and gases to a minimum and store them correctly
- Stage regular fire drills so your employees know how to respond in an emergency
For more information on fire safety for your business, please call one of our experts today on 0808 198 7915