Fire Health and Safety

What is fire?

Fire is the rapid production of light, heat and flames from something that is burning, for example, wood, coal or petroleum. In its right place and under control, a fire is an aid to life. In the wrong place and out of control, it is a different story. Fire is capable of killing, maiming and causing destruction or damage to property.

Why is fire important?

The Fire & Rescue Services attend more than 30,000 fires in the workplace each year. Fire presents significant risk to businesses. It can kill or seriously injure employees or visitors and can damage or destroy buildings, equipment and stock. Organisations operating from single premises are particularly vulnerable as loss of premises may completely disrupt their operations. Many businesses fail to continue trading following a serious fire.

Who is affected most at risk from fire?

Most businesses will have some degree of fire risk. It may have a more significant impact on a business that stocks combustible material including flammable liquids and gasses, uses heat processes, has people working alone in parts of the building, has poorly maintained equipment and electrical circuits, has public access(risk of arson) and has poor housekeeping standards. But any organisation may be affected at any time.

What does the law say?

New fire safety rules affecting all non-domestic premises in England and Wales came into force on 1 October 2006. If you are:

• responsible for business premises
• an employer or self-employed with business premises
• responsible for a part of a dwelling where that part is solely used for business purposes
• a charity or voluntary organisation
• a contractor with a degree of control over any premise

then you need to have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment in place.

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 have replaced almost all workplace fire safety legislation.

Some elements of the Building Standards are also related to fire safety.

Risk assessment guides can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/

or complete the online self-assessment form on the Fire Gateway website: http://www.fire.gov.uk/Workplace+safety/WhatTheLawRequires/

Good fire practice

When completing your fire risk assessment, attention should be given to:

• Fire Warning and Detection
• Means of Escape in Case of Fire
• Means for Fighting Fire
• Maintenance and Testing
• Good housekeeping
• Fire Procedures and Training
• Shutdown procedures

More information on fire

• http://www.fire.gov.uk/Workplace+safety
• www.hse.gov.uk/fireandexplosion/index.htm

The Fire Safety department of your local fire brigade can give advice on fire safety matters.

The Fire Protection Association has an online fire risk assessment checklist:
http://www.thefpa.co.uk/Resources/Fire+Safety+Guidance/Guidance+on+Fire+Safety+at+Work.htm

The Arson Prevention Bureau has a checklist of 24 ways to protect against an arson attack:
http://www.arsonpreventionbureau.org.uk/saveddocument/24%20steps%20to%20securing%20against%20arson.pdf

Related Pages:
E - Learning: Fire Safety Training