Fire Safety for New Businesses
Starting a new business can be an exciting time – not to mention a stressful one! Between hiring staff and organising budgets, you might not be left with time for much else.
However, there’s one area of a new business to which you must pay close attention: fire safety.
In all businesses, new or otherwise, there is a standard set of rules and regulations laid out by the government that controls fire safety in the workplace, as referred to in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, 2005. As owner of the business, or as its main employer, it is your responsibility to implement all safe practices as the nominated ‘responsible person’.
Once you have deciphered who the responsible person is in your organisation, they must then take a number of steps to meet the criteria of the Order. These include…
Emergency Plan
This should be a detailed plan, clearly designating escape routes and a safely accessible assembly point. The plan must demonstrate unobstructed passageways to fire exits, emergency lighting for dimly lit areas, a sufficient number of fire exits that take all levels of mobility into account and adequate training for all employees as to the correct procedure on the sounding of a fire alarm. In a new business, this plan may need redressing once the day-to-day movements of the workplace have settled into a rhythm, as this may make some previously designated fire escape routes impractical or inaccessible.
Fire Risk Assessment
One of the most important responsibilities of the responsible person is to carry out the fire risk assessment at the business’s premises. This includes identifying and removing potential fire hazards, accommodating for any staff mobility issues and ensuring that the emergency plan and training is accessible to view by all staff and visitors. The assessment must be performed regularly, and must also be written down if there are more than 5 permanent members of staff on the premises.
Performing a fire risk assessment at a new business has both advantages and disadvantages. As there’s a good chance that you haven’t fully occupied every square inch of the premises (with a view to expanding), you will be able to more easily identify areas that may pose a risk in the event of a fire. However, you will also be more unfamiliar with the building’s layout and ways in which it operates, with more regular reassessments required as a result.
Fire Equipment
Your place of work must, by law, have some form of fire detection and alarm system fitted, so make sure you include this in the plans for your new business. Any fire fighting equipment that you select, such as fire extinguishers, must also be suitable for the nature of your business. For example, water-based fire extinguishers will be of no use to offices that have a lot of electrical equipment, while commercial kitchens will require the use of dry powder or CO2 units for any blazes caused by cooking oils or fats.
If you are starting a new business and need expert fire safety advice, get in touch with the professionals at City Fire today. We offer a comprehensive fire safety service, specialising in the supply and installation of a huge range of equipment, including fire alarms and fire extinguishers. We also perform fire risk assessments and offer fire safety training.
