What Fire Safety Measures Are Required In The Workplace?

CONTENTS

• What is your duty as an employer?
  • Performing a fire risk assessment
  • Access to the right equipment
  • Provide fire safety training
  • Designate a fire warden
  • Liaising with your employees
• Fire damage cleaning specialists
• Contact us​

Fires are devastating events that can cause much damage, which is why it is incredibly important for an employer to have the correct fire safety procedures in place in the event one should occur.

The risks of a fire taking place are very real, with the Fire Rescue Service attending 182, 825 fires between 2018 and 2019. They can often start suddenly and quickly spiral out of control. Having robust measures worked out means that the process will be seamless if a fire were to start.

Have a read of our blog to find out what some of the fire safety measures required of you are in the workplace, and why they should all be taken extremely seriously.

What is your duty as an employer?

As an employer, you have a duty of care towards your staff. This includes implementing fire measures and policies suitable to your workplace to protect the well-being of employees.

These duties include conducting a risk assessment, having the right equipment on site to tackle a blaze, and appointing a fire warden to oversee the evacuation process.

Practices established on your premises can mean the difference between life and death, so it is essential to get them right.

Performing a fire risk assessment

This is designed to assess potential dangers present in your building so that the necessary steps can be taken to either eliminate or mitigate them. 

Any organisation with over five employees must legally have a risk assessment carried out. During this, you should identify any possible sources of fire. 

The assessment must be performed at regular intervals to identify any new risks that have presented themselves. In the intervening period between evaluations, you should also monitor for possible fire hazards.

To find out more about how to conduct the assessment, take a look at this useful information provided by the London Fire Brigade.

Access to the right equipment 

You should ensure that the correct equipment is available within your workplace and show all employees where they are located. Thorough training needs to be provided to the necessary people so they have a good understanding of how the equipment works.

Examples of the items you must have in your workplace include:

• Fire blanket
• First aid kit
• Emergency lighting
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire alarms 

On the premises, at least one fire extinguisher is required. The type you need will depend on what risks are present in your particular situation. 

Having all of the above equipment in place is necessary so that you are meeting your duty of care towards your employees. For instance, fire alarms are crucial to notifying people of a fire should one break out, and a workplace should never be without one.

Additionally, the first aid kit should be fully stocked if an employee needs medical attention. You must also check that all the equipment is in correct working order and that it is tested. One fire drill a year is vital in a workplace to confirm that it remains effective.

Providing fire safety training

If any new threats arise on your premises, staff ought to be made aware of them. Similarly, when a new starter joins your company, rigorous health and safety training should be conducted.

It is essential that employees know how to act in the event of the fire, and what their individual responsibilities are. Such information could include the location of fire exits or where their fire meeting point is.

It is good practice to encourage your workplace to read the visual fire safety signs and procedures regularly so that they remain aware of dangers around them. 

Designate a fire warden

At a minimum, you must employ one fire warden to oversee your workforce. They will take charge of keeping fire safety measures up to date and are responsible for evacuating the building if a fire occurs.

Before a fire warden begins their duties, they need to undergo thorough training for the role. It is a position of incredible importance, as they are tasked with ensuring those on the premises are safe in the event of a fire.

Liaising with your employees

You are required to listen to your staff regarding their health and safety as their employer. After all, they can provide fresh insight on areas of attention within the workplace and offer their own view on what is needed to make the environment safer.

Including staff in the process of fire safety shows you value their contribution to your organisation. Workers are likely to be happier in their role if you take an active role in listening to their concerns about their well-being.

In some instances, a health and safety representative is able to liaise directly with staff. This role can be selected by a trade union or by your workers, and is a great way to represent the wider workforce to senior management on this issue.

Fire damage cleaning specialists

Here at ICE Cleaning, we have years of experience in providing effective fire damage cleaning to customers across the UK.

Whatever sort of services you require, from soot and ash removal to waste collection, we’ve got you covered. We understand how important it is to act quickly when a fire has occurred, which is why we pride ourselves on our responsiveness.

Our fire damage cleaning services are aimed at restoring your working environment to a safe place and helping to minimise the level of damage cased by the fire. We use only non-harmful and non-abrasive products during our cleaning to protect the health of everyone involved.

Additionally, we provide smoke odour removal services which you may find useful if you have identified a lingering unpleasant smell left behind by fire damage. Click here to find out more about this service.

Contact us

If you have need for fire damage cleaning services, our dedicated customer service team can be contacted on 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk.

In cases of emergency, our team can be there within the hour to begin work on your building.

For more information about fire safety in the workplace, information can be found on Gov.uk.