Fire safety is no joke. Over the years there have been some terrible fires which have caused serious damage to property, and loss of life. In January 2019 there was a large fire at a barn on Arrowe Park Road, which caused road closures, and required several fire engines to attend the property.
The rapid response of the fire brigade helped to avoid any serious damage to other properties, and ensured that no passers-by were harmed, but we cannot always rely on the fire department reaching the scene rapidly. That’s why fire safety matters so much.
Risk Assessments and Prevention
You are required by law to have fire safety policies and a risk assessment in place. This can be quite intimidating to get sorted out if you are not well versed in the regulations. For this reason, there are many companies that offer fire risk assessment in Wirral, and that can help you to prepare everything that is needed, as well as highlight any areas where you might not be properly prepared.
There are many things that you should consider as a part of preparing your risk assessment, including:
- Fire exits
- Keeping fire doors, etc, free from obstruction
- Smoke alarms and sprinklers
- The safety of electrical wiring
- The presence or absence of flammable substances in the building
- Marking and lighting to help people find fire escapes
- How doors are locked/opened to ensure safe evacuation
- Assembly points in the event of an evacuation
- How the fire brigade will be notified in the event of a fire
- Signage and warnings
- How many people will be in the building at any one time
- The location of fire extinguishers
- Maintenance of those fire extinguishers
- Training for staff in general fire safety
- Announcements notifying building users of fire alarm tests, etc
The above are just a few things that are important when it comes to fire safety. There are many other issues that you should consider as well, and working with a team of experts is a good way to ensure that you are fully compliant with the regulations.
Fire safety is no joke. While fires are rare, when something does go wrong it is vital that the alarms alert people quickly and that they are able to evacuate without delay. Seconds count, especially with the highly toxic chemicals that can be released when certain things catch fire.
Even seemingly ‘harmless’ mistakes can cost lives. Someone leaving debris on a fire exit stairwell could cause people to trip over while evacuating the building and therefore block the stairwell for others trying to get out. Being lax about basics such as keeping electric heaters away from flammable materials could be all it takes to cause a fire.
As a business owner you have a duty to keep your customers and employees safe with a Wirral fire risk assessment. Taking a little time to draw up policies and then actually enforcing those policies in the long term is essential. Yes, policies and procedures are not the most exciting thing in the world, however, they exist for a reason, and it is better to have them and then not need them, than to be faced with the tragedy of losing your premises and potentially having people suffer harm.
If you are interested in drawing up a fire safety risk assessment, then look for a company in Wirral that understands the procedures and that will be able to help you draw up documents and get your premises into a kind of shape that will pass any inspections. Once you’ve got policies in place, you need to maintain them, but that is so much easier than making them in the first instance.