Fire Safety Risk Assessment

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Fire Safety Risk Assessment

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gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18410

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:02 pm Post subject: Fire Safety Risk Assessment

Anyone had to complete one of these for their business premises ? Read the assessment form and it has just done my head in.

Particularly where those premises are also one's home, only some of the space is used for business, and there are no employees and generally no members of the public on site.

From what perspective is the form completed ? Just the business areas of the premises ? (e.g. questions about persons sleeping, presumably in a work capacity - or not ? i.e. does this cover me sleeping in my home in a personal capacity ?).

My house, being old, has zilch disabled facilities/access. Does this matter ?

Does the Fire Service take the premises as they are (mainly private domestic), or will I be compelled to turn the whole of my home into industrial premises ? Put up Fire Exit signs, install fire doors instead of my normal front and back doors, etc ?

What defines 'cooking' ? Is boiling water in a pan on an oven hob an act of 'cooking' ?

Combustible waste : in the sitting room, which sometimes serves an an office, there is a wood-burner with log and kindling baskets. Of course I deliberately accumulate combustible kindling !

Paper counts as combustible waste. Do books count ? In the cellaring area (otherwise used as the dining room) there is a built-in bookshelf with my books in. Do I have to move or get rid of these ?

Do the premises contain foam-filled furniture (without fire retardant) ? FFS, of course they do - bed mattresses and a sofa. 'Control measures = replace or repair / other' (Other = 'get a grip on reality' ?)

What do you do about fire regs and your home office, where this is in a corner of the sitting room ???

Do I just fill the form in honestly, detailing 'how it is' given that it is my home ? Or are there certain things not to admit to ? Things it is useful/essential to have/do/say ?

Any help, comments appreciated, especially if you have been through this kind of process.

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:03 pm Post subject:
Who are you doing it for Gil? In other words, who has asked you to do it?

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18410

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:13 pm Post subject:

It's for the off-licence application. The Licensing Board at the Regional Council have sent me an Assessment form to complete designed by /to be reviewed by the regional Fire and Rescue Service when I have filled it in.

Clearly designed (apart from anything else) to be used by someone opening shop premises (also has sections that appear relevant to pubs, hotels, care homes, factories)

And the Council's letter says '(we have received) the Chief Fire Officers report and can advise he has no adverse comments to make provided you fully comply with any requirements issued by Building Standards following consultation with the Fire Authority, and that a Fire Safety Risk Assessment [i.e. this form] is completed'.

I have to do the Risk Assessment myself on behalf of the business.

Building Standards shouldn't be involved, as far as I remember when completing the original form, but can't remember why my business is exempt from their attentions.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18410

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:18 pm Post subject:
I am tempted to complete the form (it's a tick box thing), with an appendix of notes explaining, for example, that the business uses an electric kettle on the worktop to boil water, and a pan on the hob to heat water, and that I cook in a domestic capacity on my cooker and stove. i.e. stating the blindingly obvious for both the business and domestic, and they can sort it out.

Behemoth

Joined: 01 Dec 2004
Posts: 19023
Location: Leeds

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:43 pm Post subject:
WHat do pubs do? They are basically a house with a bar.

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:54 pm Post subject:

I did one last year for our village hall, fire service happy with what I had done.

I found a useful site online, but no longer have the exact address - it was one of the official government sites though - very good, clear info which enabled me to do mine, never having done one before.

Found this one, which might be helpful for you:

https://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/fire/contents.htm

or this one:

https://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074253164

- this second one looks quite like what I used.

My fire risk assessment was done totally by me, typed up, and is displayed in the hall, with updates etc handed out to hirers, so everyone is aware of it, who the "responsible person" is etc etc.

I didn't find it as daunting as I thought, once I started. If stuck, try your fire community safety officer or similar - I've always found them very, very helpful with hall matters.

Hope this helps - I'll check back to see how you are getting on.

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18410

Posted: Thu Oct 11, 07 1:54 pm Post subject:

Just come off the phone from talking to the Fire Service - clarification provided.

For a domestic-based production business, the only parts of the building to include in the assessment are those used for production (but not admin), and those to which the public may have access on business (for sales/tours). The only activities to include in the assessment are those which relate to the business and for which wages might be paid, so sleeping upstairs in one's own bed does not count, and nor does domestic cooking.

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