Slide 1

A sufficient and effective fire risk assessment is essential for all workplaces, regardless of their profession, size or environment.

As seen previously, it is a legal requirement for the responsible person in the premises to ensure that the risks from fires are assessed, controlled and monitored so that people remain safe from harm.

This part of the course looks at each of the vital elements of a risk assessment so that you can carry out a fire risk assessment of your own premises.

Introduction

1The Fire Council

The topics covered in this section are:What is a risk assessment?Identifying hazardsThe fire triangleDeciding who may be harmedEvaluating risksRecording findingsReviewing and updating

Topics to be Covered

A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what in your work place could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.

All employers are legally required to assess the risks in their workplace so that they can put in place a plan to control the risks.

The main steps of a risk assessment are:Identifying the hazards.

Decide who might be harmed and how.Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.Recording your findings and implement them.Review your assessment and update if necessary.

What is a Risk Assessment?

What is a Risk Assessment?

The following terms, as defined here, are used when referring to risk assessments:

Reasonably practicable- the risk assessment should be realistic and possible to achieve with the resources available in your premises.

Suitable and sufficient- the risk assessment must be tailored towards the tasks at hand and be thorough enough to ensure there are no discrepancies.

Competent person- the person that carries out the risk assessment should understand the fire safety regulations, develop an action plan, know which information to obtain for the risk assessment, seek help when needed and record all the results.

Hierarchy of control- the order in which control measures should be implemented.

Step 1: Identify the Hazards

The first step of the risk assessment is to identify the hazards. Techniques for identifying hazards include:Work place observation.Feedback from employees.Checking manufacturer's instructions or data sheets.Reviewing accident and ill health records.In terms of fire safety, this also means:Locating the sources of ignition.Locating the potential sources of fuel.Identifying the sources of oxygen.Employers must carry out a separate assessment for the risk of explosion.

For a fire to start, three essential things are needed:-A source of ignition.-Fuel.-Oxygen.These make up the fire triangle and, if any one of these things is missing, a fire cannot begin.

It is therefore essential that you consider the fire triangle for your risk assessment.

The Fire Triangle

FUAL:Flammable Gases Flammable Liquids Flammable SolidsOXYGEN:Always present in the air Additional sources fromOxidising substances.IGNITION SOURCE:Hot surfaces Electrical EquipmentStatic ElectricitySmoking / Naked flames

Potential sources of ignition can include:Smokers' materials and discarded cigarettes.Naked flames.Hot surfaces or processes, such as welding or lighting equipment.Overheated electrical equipment.Faulty or misused electrical equipment.Friction, such as loose bearings.

The Fire Triangle

Sources of fuel could include;Paper and card.Plastics.Rubber and foam.Flammable liquids, such as paints and varnishes.Flammable gases, such as liquefied petroleum gas.Chemicals and waste materials.

Sources of oxygen include:The air around us.Some chemicals (oxidising materials).Oxygen supplies from cylinder storage.Pyrotechnics.

The Fire Triangle

Which one of the following is NOT a potential source of ignition for a fire?* Water tanksFaulty or misused electrical equipmentNaked flamesHot surfaces or processes

Exercise

This step involves looking at each specific hazard and then identifying the people who may be harmed by them.

These people may be:Specific groups of employees.Customers.Visitors.Members of the public.

Some employees have particular requirements, such as:Young workers.Expectant mothers.People with disabilities.People who are not at work all the time.Part-timers.Sub-contractors.

Step 2: Decide Who Might be Harmed and How

For a fire risk assessment you must also:Evaluate the risk of a fire starting accidentally, through an act of omission or deliberately.Evaluate the risk to people.Remove or reduce the fire hazards, including ignition sources, fuel sources and oxygen sources.Remove or reduce the risks to people from fire.Protect against the risk to people. Think about current control measures and whether additional controls are needed.Protect people by providing fire precautions, including detection and warning systems, fire fighting equipment, escape routes, lighting, signs and notices and ensure they are well maintained.

Step 3: Evaluate the Risks

The next step is to evaluate the risks and decide whether the hazard can be eliminated. If not, how can you control the risks so that harm is unlikely? Options include:Trying a less risky option.Preventing access to the hazardous materials or area.Re-organising work to reduce the likelihood of fire.Removing the potential source of ignition or fuel.Issuing personal protective equipment.Involving and training staff to ensure the precautions will work in practice and dont introduce new hazards.

Step 3: Evaluate the Risks

It is recommended that your risk assessment findings are written down, even where there are less than 5 employees.

You need to be able to show that:A proper check was made.You have considered who might be affected.You have dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved.The precautions are reasonable and the remaining risk is low.Staff or their representatives have been involved.

Step 4: Record Your Findings and Implement them

Check on a regular basis whether there have been any changes in the workplace that may affect your risk assessment. For example:

Are there any improvements still to be made?Has there been employee feedback?Have you learnt anything from accidents and near misses?Has any new equipment or machinery been introduced?Do you have any new employees that require training?

Step 5: Review and Update

A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what in your work could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to prevent harm.The main steps of a risk assessment are:Identify the hazards.Decide who might be harmed and how.Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.Record your findings and implement them.Review your assessment and update if necessary.The three things that make up the fire triangle are: a source of ignition, fuel oxygen.It is essential that you consider the make-up of the fire triangle when undertaking the first step of your fire risk assessment.

Summary