Fire Risk Assessments
Allcott Commercial offers professional dilapidations survey services by RICS chartered surveyors, acting either for the landlord or for the tenant.
If you control a building or employ people, you must comply with Regulatory Reform Order 2005 (RRO).
The RRO replaces any previous fire regulations and laws, meaning that fire certificates are no longer valid and must be replaced with an up-to-date fire risk assessment.
A Suitable and Sufficient Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) must be carried out by the responsible person in order to protect employees and persons using the building.
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Compliance with RRO for Fire Safety
Non-compliance with the RRO can lead to prosecution for the responsible person, and penalties such as fines and costs of over £200,000 have been levied.
A Sensible Approach to Fire Safety Assessments
Allcott Commercial’s clients benefit from a common-sense approach. We discuss your options for mitigating and managing risks where possible, all in line with the requirements of the RRO. This means our clients are suitably covered, understand the hazards and risk, but also to avoid unreasonable and unnecessary works.
Preparation of a Fire Risk Assessment
In order to prepare a Fire Risk Assessment for you, there are five steps.
- Identify the fire hazards
Fire hazards centre on sources of fuel, ignition and oxygen.
Potential sources of ignition include naked flames, hot work processes, hot surfaces, sparks, friction, and also arson.
Potential sources of fuel include solids, liquids and gases that may be present on the premises.
The assessment will detail these potential hazards.
- Identifying people at risk
Those people at risk include employees, visitors to the premises and also those who may be particularly vulnerable such as people who are disabled in some way, together with the young and the elderly.
This part of the assessment includes the possible spread of any fire, smoke and heat, as well as the procedures for warning people if a fire occurs. The assessment also includes documentation of appropriate ways to escape the various hazards involved.
- Evaluating risks
Referring to steps 1 and 2, the assessment includes the steps that should be taken to remove or reduce the risks.
This includes reducing the possibilities of ignition and the number of potential fuels as well as providing assistance for escape.
- Recording findings
The findings of the risk assessment must be recorded, including relevant details of the adequacy of existing measures, the people at particular risk and what, if any, further action is required.
- Review the assessment
The assessment must be reviewed at regular intervals to make sure it takes into account any changes that may have occurred since it was last undertaken.
Further reviews should take place if the premises or its use are changed, so that any new hazards can be looked at.
Changes can include – the storage of additional fuels, increases in staff numbers, changes in partition walls etc.
If you require a new Fire Risk Assessment, a review of an existing Fire Risk Assessment or believe you require upgrading work to be carried out to comply with a Fire Risk Assessment, Allcott Commercial can help.
Looking for residential / home survey services?
Looking for a RICS Level 2 or Level 3 Building Survey or Specific Defect Survey for a privately-owned residential property? Our team of residential surveyors and engineers can help. Visit allcottassociates.co.uk or Get an Instant Quote.
Alternatively, Allcott Commercial provides surveying services for housing associations and other residential property owners.
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If you would like to discuss a potential project with our consultants or get advice on any aspect of building surveying or engineering, please don’t hesitate to complete our contact form, call us on 0333 202 6386, or contact one of our regional offices.
