Fire safety in the workplace - best practises for Facilities Managers

In order to stay compliant with UK fire safety and protection regulations you will be required to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Protection) Order 2005.

Risk Assessment

The best place to start with ensuring fire safety in the workplace is to first perform a fire risk assessment, we would recommend that you have this performed by a professionally trained and qualified fire safety expert.

Based on the results of this assessment, it is expected that changes will be made that may be necessary to secure the area, the necessary steps will be taken and a management plan will be established to maintain fire protection in the workplace.

Actions and Plans

Next, you need to develop an evacuation plan and fully inform all staff of what to do and where to meet after such an event. Staff should be able to see all fire safety plans clearly visible on the walls of the premises.

Risk mitigation may include the installation of fire alarms, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing devices that are suitable for the types of fires that may occur in the workplace. All these will require scheduled for regular maintenance and testing.

You should always only consult a professionally trained and competent fire safety expert for any of the above scheduled maintenance and testing too.

Special considerations

Remember to consider the individual and unique needs of your employees, especially for example those that are disabled, considering the risk of fire from other buildings around the office and ensuring that there are always safe evacuation routes available to all.

Make sure your fire and escape plans are consistent with your disaster recovery plan so that your employees are safe and undisturbed by all sorts of data recovery ideas.

You can also consult with the staff of the surrounding buildings to establish a network and complex evacuation plan. This allows you to quickly communicate the danger of fire between offices and provide a safer response as a whole.

Please don’t hesitate to contact Protest ES Ltd, for any of your Fire Safety requirements in the workplace, today – 01604 696113 | enquiries@protestesltd.co.uk.