| What will happen if I don’t carry out a fire risk assessment? You could be prosecuted by the fire & rescue service. This could be punishable by either a fine and/or imprisonment. Since the RRO was adopted 3 persons have been sentenced to up to 6 months imprisonment. How long will an assessment take? It depends on the size of the building. Most likely time is anything from 1 hour to a day. Then there is the paperwork. Are assessments required for private houses? Not if it is a single family living there. Are assessments required for any private accommodation? Not for the accommodation but in the case of a flat or apartment it is most likely required for the common areas (staircase area). Are there any other private areas of accommodation that require an assessment? It has been suggested by an eminent professor of Fire Law that holiday letting houses come under the scope of the law as it is not the sole residence of an individual. Why won’t the fire service visit and inspect my building? Although under the previous fire legislation the fire service would inspect buildings and issue a document which would require certain works to be carried out. The new role of the fire & rescue service is to inspect and audit premises. Their role is very much like the Health & Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE tend to visit mainly following ‘events’ i.e. fires or complaints. How will I know if the fire service will want to inspect my premises? They will contact you and unless there has been a complaint should give you 5 weeks notice. They have a list of premises rated in priority of risk. Sleeping risk’s usually rate higher. How can I avoid falling foul of the Fire & Rescue Service? Carry out a fire risk assessment and keep all your records up to date (fire alarm, training etc). How often should I carry out an assessment? Following the original assessment it should be reviewed at least annually. If things change either with the number of people who work there, or their responsibilities change or changes are made to the building either to the structure or layout. If in doubt contact your local Fire & Rescue Service. Where can I find out information about the requirements for my building? Visit the Department of Government and Local Communities website. A number of guides have been produced to assist persons. How can I be sure that a person is competent to carry out an assessment? A competent person may be regarded as a person with sufficient training and experience, knowledge or other qualities, to enable him/her to carry out the assessment. For this legislation it has been determined that the definition of a competent person shall be as given under the Management of Health Safety at Work Regulations 1999 which is: ‘A person shall be regarded as a competent person where he/she has sufficient training and experience to enable him (or her) to properly assist him/her in undertaking the measures etc.’ If in any doubt question the person and ask for references. There are lots of people out there who claim to be competent but are not!
|
