A commonly asked question by property owners, building owners and those accountable for handling fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk analysis?
In this post, we’re going to clarify why it is conceivable– but may not always be the right conclusion to make. Who are we? Find Out More
The short answer is ‘Certainly – you can perform your own fire risk analysis’, there is nothing stopping you from Googling an online template for a fire risk analysis and filling out the fields to describe your structure, what you do, and any risks you can identify from the limited expertise you have. If in doubt get in touch Fire Risk Assessment
You could even do your own research, perhaps even go to a fire safety program. This may have been acceptable prior to 2005, as the fire service used to visit your building and carry out an audit to deliver you with a fire certificate. But, since then, the demands and law for fire safety became much more stringent and things changed considerably.
The law for fire safety – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which was actually introduced in 2006– was designed to reform fire safety in England & Wales, to introduce the need for a suitable and adequate fire risk analysis to be carried out for all non-domestic premises.
The words ‘suitable and sufficient’ when used in law, were certainly brought under examination, but the interpretation has since been made very clear:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk analysis can only be carried out by a competent person.
‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with sufficient training, qualifications, experience and attitude. A competent person needs to have acquired specific training in relation to fire risk assessments, they must have some form of qualification to back that up, experience in assessing your type of building, and the right approach to ensure they’re able to communicate the findings effectively. All of the above can be achieved for your fire risk analysis by using external assessors.
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