Fire Safety Requirements in the workplace

Keeping your staff safe during working hours is equally as important, if not more so, as your property and assets. A huge risk to life is the possibility of a fire breaking out. Now, we all know prevention is better than cure, so how do we ensure we keep these people safe.

All building owners and employers are legally required to carry out a fire risk assessment in order to ensure you do not receive a fine or a custodial sentence. A written record of a fire risk assessment must be kept if the business contains 5 or more employees. 

Fire Marshal training is also essential in keeping staff in the workplace safe. Surprisingly to some, fire marshalling is not just being the first point of contact upon activation of a fire alarm, they are also responsible for being proactive in the prevention of fires within the building. This may be by checking all power points and electrical devices are in working order by having a PAT test undertaken, removing obstructions from fire exits, keeping fire extinguishers stocked and in view, conducting regular fire drills or updating fire risk assessment paperwork.

A simple fire risk assessment can be undertaken by a staff member, but many companies offer a regular fire risk assessment service at competitive rates. This is recommended as they are trained to spot any risks which may be otherwise overlooked, this also alleviates the need to take your staff from their role to complete a risk assessment or carryout other fire related duties. 

Having security guards with full Fire Marshal training, in addition to their security license and qualifications, is a hugely beneficial to businesses as they are always on site, should an emergency occur. The fire risk assessments can be undertaken during their security checks of a property thus only requiring one check, as opposed to two. Time saving, life-saving and multi-purpose staff are incredibly valuable.