A generally asked question by hotelkeepers, building owners and those liable for managing fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk evaluation?
In this article, we’re going to explain why it is possible– but may not necessarily be the appropriate choice to make. Who are we? Pyro Fire
The short answer is ‘Yes – you can carry out your own fire risk evaluation’, there is virtually nothing stopping you from Googling an online template for a fire risk assessment and filling out the areas to define your building, what you do, and any risks you can identify from the limited understanding you have. If in doubt get in touch Pyro Fire
You could even do your own research, perhaps even attend a fire safety training course. This may have been acceptable prior to 2005, as the fire service used to check out your property and carry out an audit to deliver you with a fire certificate. Having said that, since then, the demands and law for fire safety became much more strict and things changed significantly.
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 introduce the requirement for a suitable and adequate fire risk assessment to be carried out for all non-domestic premises.
The words ‘suitable and sufficient’ when used in law, were undoubtedly brought under scrutiny, but the definition has since been made very clear:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk evaluation can only be carried out by a competent man or woman.
‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with sufficient training, certifications, experience and attitude. A competent person must have received specific training in relation to fire risk analyses, they must have some form of qualification to back that up, experience in assessing your type of property, 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 assessment by using external assessors.
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