A commonly asked query by hotelkeepers, building owners and those responsible for handling fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk analysis?
In this guide, we’re going to explain why it is conceivable– but may not necessarily be the proper choice to make. Who are we? Fire Risk Assessment
The short answer is ‘Certainly – you can conduct your own fire risk analysis’, there is nothing at all stopping you from Googling an online design template for a fire risk analysis and filling out the fields to describe your structure, what you do, and any risks you can identify from the limited understanding you have. If in doubt get in touch Fire Risk Assessment
You could even do your own research, perhaps even go to a fire safety course. This may have been satisfactory 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 criteria and law for fire safety became much more rigorous and things changed dramatically.
The law for fire safety – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which was actually introduced in 2006– was designed to reform fire safety in England & Wales, to introduce the requirement for a suitable and adequate fire risk analysis 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 obvious:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk analysis can only be carried out by a competent person.
‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with enough training, qualifications, 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 correct attitude to ensure they’re able to communicate the findings effectively. All of the above can be achieved for your fire risk analysis by using external assessors.
Find out More about our Fire risk assessments Pyro Fire