Health & Safety: The burning question

Unfortunately the risk of losing lives, property, reputation and business is not enough to motivate all premises to obtain a fire risk assessment and emergency action plan. The Fire Service Authority is contemplating naming and shaming businesses which do not have a fire risk assessment or which are not fully committed to fire safety.

We all know fire is a real and constant risk to all businesses and a high risk to the hospitality industry. Many

good operators should be commended on having made fire risk assessments an everyday part of operational life for themselves and their staff and this increased familiarity is a positive step. Nevertheless, ongoing professional assessment and advice is vital to ensure safety and to ensure familiarity does not lead to complacency.

Sadly some operators kid themselves that accessing or downloading 'template tick-boxes' or 'hints' off the internet for a 'walk-round' fire risk assessments, or using a specific assessment from one site across multi sites, is enough.

Unfortunately in such cases a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and they may be exposing their business to even greater and unnecessary risks.

There is no substitute for having an experienced fire safety expert give you objective and impartial site-specific advice, highlight any deficiencies, generate an action plan and truly partner you in your commitment to fire safety.

Critical checks that should run in tandem with fire risk assessments include weekly checks of fire safety measures, regular checks on procedure, ensuring that all fire safety equipment is serviced and working, and that staff have a working knowledge of the equipment and adequate fire safety training.

Part of a thorough assessment could reveal the need for an emergency action plan (EAP), which should include details of your site, the number of people working there and the steps to take in the event of an emergency - be it fire, explosion or bomb threat.

An EAP should be kept up to date as personnel change and your business changes in nature and size.