A regularly asked question by hotelkeepers, building owners and those accountable for handling fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk assessment?
In this guide, we’re going to reveal why it is feasible– but may not necessarily be the appropriate conclusion to make. Who are we? Find Out More
The short answer is ‘Without a doubt – you can perform your own fire risk analysis’, there is nothing stopping you from Googling an online design template for a fire risk evaluation and filling out the areas to describe your building, what you do, and any risks you can identify from the limited knowledge you have. If in doubt get in touch Fire Risk Assessment
You might even do your own analysis, perhaps even enroll in a fire safety program. This may have been acceptable prior to 2005, as the fire service used to check out your building and carry out an audit to deliver you with a fire certificate. Having said that, since then, the criteria and law for fire safety became much more rigorous and things changed considerably.
The law for fire safety – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which was effectively introduced in 2006– was created to reform fire safety in England & Wales, to bring in the requirement for a suitable and sufficient fire risk analysis to be carried out for all non-domestic premises.
The words ‘suitable and sufficient’ when used in law, were certainly brought under scrutiny, but the definition has since been made very obvious:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk evaluation can only be carried out by a competent person.
‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with enough training, certifications, experience and attitude. A competent person needs to have obtained specific training in relation to fire risk evaluations, they must have some form of qualification to back that up, experience in assessing your type of building, and the right attitude to ensure they’re able to communicate the results effectively. All of the above can be achieved for your fire risk analysis by using outside inspectors.
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