Who Is Responsible For Completing A Fire Risk Assessment?

• What is a fire risk assessment?
• Where are fire risk assessments needed?
• Who completes a fire risk assessment at work?
• Who completes a fire risk assessment at home?
• How to conduct a fire risk assessment yourself
• What to do if a fire has damaged your property
• Get in touch

It is important to remember that most fires are preventable with fire risk assessments. They are integral in preventing disasters both at home and in the workplace. Without an assessment, the rate of fire risk increases, and unchecked hazards could trigger disaster soon.

Whether a fire has damaged your workplace or personal property, our fire damage cleaning services at ICE Cleaning can restore your home. We use innovative tools and industrial-grade solutions to remove remnants of fire and smoke damage.

Read on to learn more about fire risk assessments and who is responsible for conducting them.

What is a fire risk assessment?

Anyone who has started a new job or moved into a new place will be familiar with a fire risk assessment. It is a building review conducted by an individual that identifies fire risks and recommends safety improvements.

It is legally required to conduct this assessment annually in buildings that occupy five or more people. Nevertheless, try to discover risks throughout your occupancy and alert the appropriate people when you see them.

Where are fire risk assessments needed?

Any building occupying five or more people requires a fire risk assessment annually. This could be a shared household, flats, or a business workplace. According to UK law, any building over 5,000 square meters needs a risk assessment.

A fire risk assessment is required before the building is even complete in some cases. For example, if you plan to develop a building larger than 200 square meters, you must review it before construction starts.

Who completes a fire risk assessment at work?

For risk assessments in a business or non-domestic property, an individual takes on the role of a ‘responsible person’. This person will be responsible for:

• Conducting the risk assessment
• Informing staff of risks
• Maintaining or implementing safety measures
• Planning for an emergency
• Providing fire safety instructions and training

This responsible person could be the employer, owner, landlord, occupier, or anyone with authority on the premises. Some properties may require more than one of these in the case of shared buildings, where more than one individual occupies or manages the space.

Who completes a fire risk assessment at home?

If you live in a property building like a building of flats, student accommodation, or a care centre, the responsible person will usually be the landlord or property manager. Although they are responsible for ensuring fire safety in common areas, any tenant must keep their home safe.

A landlord or property manager has additional tasks to ensure fire safety and prevention are adequate in the area. These tasks include:

• Ensuring smoke detectors are installed and working
• Informing the locations of smoke alarms, fire blankets, and extinguishers to tenants
• Advising tenants of the fire escape routes and assembly points
• Ensuring all doors are fire resistant
• Remove any flammable or combustible items

How to conduct a fire risk assessment yourself

If you are a property owner, landlord, company manager, or owner, you have a legal responsibility to conduct a fire risk assessment. If you are unaware of the steps you need to take, you can refer to government guidelines. To conduct a fire risk assessment, you must do the following:

Identify fire hazards

• Discover flammable or combustible items
• Identify objects that could start a fire
• Find out what electricals could start a fire

Identify people at risk

• Think about high-risk people
• The age and health status of individuals
• Consider visitors, guests, or evening staff
• Vulnerable, elderly, or very young people

Evaluate and act

• Find all the risks
• Discover all escape routes
• Identify all fire alarms
• Note fire extinguisher locations
• Create a fire safety plan
• Elect a fire warden

Record, plan, and train

• Ensure fire safety training is available
• Inform staff or tenants of your findings
• Create a plan of action to improve safety

Review the results

• Set up an annual review
• Make note of any changes you made
• Keep a note of stock levels or dangerous chemicals in storage

What to do if a fire has damaged your property

In case of fire damage to your residence or commercial space, it is crucial to secure alternative housing immediately. You can do this by talking to your local council, as fire victims are prioritised for housing.

Living in a fire-damaged environment is a big risk to your health that could escalate into chronic or severe illnesses over time. Before you contact fire cleaning services, you should:

• Open all doors and windows to ventilate the area
• Take photos or videos of the damage for your insurance
• Dispose of fire-damaged furniture, clothes, consumables, medicines, and cosmetics
• Set up dehumidifiers and air purifiers in affected rooms
• Set up standing fans in affected areas to circulate air
• Contact fire clean-up services

Get in touch

It is difficult to find help when you are recovering from a devastating house fire, but you can rely on our fire restoration services at ICE Cleaning. We help you restore your property and get your life back on track again, ensuring your safety and comfort throughout the process.

Get in touch with our friendly service team today at 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk. We can be on-site within a few hours of your first call, and our technicians are available nationwide, 24/7, all year around, including bank holidays.