Significance of Fire Risk Assessment in the Workplace in the United Kingdom - Case Study Example

Table of contents 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Significance of risk assessment 2 3.0 Means of escape 4 4.0 Building regulations 6 5.0 Mechanical and electrical protection 8 6.0 Conclusion 10 7.0 Recommendation 10 1.0 Introduction According to the law of the land in United Kingdom, every business has to comply with fire and safety order 2005.This usually entails carrying out risk assessment of the commercial business property. Protection officers have to audit the report in order to ascertain the overall compliance level to required standards. The employer, user of premises or the owner of the premises has to ensure that all the requirements are strictly adhered to. (Morgan, 2005) This clearly indicates that in case of any fire occurrence within the premises then the person deemed responsible will be accountable to the relevant authorities. This paper therefore clearly identifies the significance of fire risk assessment in the workplace. There is also explanation of principles of means of escape in a commercial building. There is further explanation of how building regulations help in preventing fire from spreading throughout the whole building. (Alexander, 2004) 2.0 Significance of risk assessment Fire risk assessment can be referred to as organized evaluation of potential harm within premises that are fire related. This has o be carried out even if the building or premises have been previously approved. So why is it important to carry out fire risk assessment? There is great significance of carrying out fire risk assessment at the workplace. (Andersen, 1998) The first importance in carrying out fire risk assessment within premises is that the management will be able to know of any potential hazard therein. This will enable them to carry out proper measures in order to alleviate or even reduce the risks. This means that there will be no loss of property, injuries or deaths as a result of fires. This helps in ensuring that staff and customers at the workplace are safe. Carrying out fire risk assessment will help in knowing whether the building or premises comply with the required standards. The other importance of carrying out a fire and risk assessment is to ensure that proper planning is carried out in relation to rescue measures in case the risk occurs. This helps in preventing panic during such occurrences. Risk assessment enables the management to know the people who can be harmed in case of a fire. The management at the workplace is therefore able to make all prior arrangements on facilities that can be used during evacuation in case a fire occurs. Fire risk assessment also helps since these people can be given education concerning how they can escape in case of a fire. (Crockford, 1986) For instance, the staff within a workplace can be given training on how to escape when there is a fire. Training can also be given concerning actions that may result in fire at the workplace. This includes information concerning storage of flammable equipment, liquids or materials that easily ignite. The assessment also allows the management to know whether the fire precautions available are sufficient or further actions have to be carried out. (Robertson, 1989) Using the fire risk assessment report, the management can easily get advice from the fire authority concerning any other governmental authorization that is required. This helps in preventing closure of business due to non compliance with the set standards related to fire risks. It is also a very essential venture since proper planning can be carried out on how to quench the fire when it occurs. Other plans may include incorporating systems that will alert the occupants of the premises early enough when a fire occurs. These include smoke and fire alarms that are able to alert occupants within the premises. This definitely helps in saving many lives that would otherwise be lost in the inferno. 3.0 Means of escape Fire safety measures within buildings are very essential. Research showed that many people were losing lives in fire related cases. This resulted in great search for solutions in order to save lives. This quest to come up with safety measures resulted in inventions and innovations on various means of escape during fires. Analysis shows that in many instances, lifts were not functional during fires. This mostly was due to power failure during such instances. Means of escape refers to structural factors or other facilities that are put in place in buildings in order to facilitate escape from fire to an outside place of safety. (NFPA, 1993) Sometimes the entire building can be structured in such a way that there are small rooms constructed with fire resistance material. The route to the room has to be conjoined to an exit. This means that people can easily rush to these rooms for safety when a fire occurs. Various principles or factors always have to be put in place when designing a means of escape within commercial premises. These factors include the following; (Watts, 2001) Distance that has to be travelled The number of people within the building The time of evacuating the premises People with mobility that is reduced Evaluation of minimum number of way outs required All these among other principles need to be put into consideration. These are actually real factors that will affect the escape of people from the premises. It is usually very imperative for means of escape to be designed for the worst occurrences. This will help in maximizing the safe escape of many people from the building. (NFPA, 1993) Means of escape always have to consider the floor from which the people within the building are trying to escape. For instance the means of escape of the people on the fifty forth floor of a storied workplace building has to be fast enough in order to save more lives. This is considering the fact that the people on the top most floors always have higher risk of being adversely affected when a fire occurs. Other facilities can also be used to help in the escape. This includes the evac chair among other facilities. Means of escape can also be stairwells that are protected and placed on every floor of the commercial building. When the commercial building has got disabled people, then appropriate means of escape have to be put in place. This has to consider the immobility of the disabled people. (Watts, 2001) Means of escape always have to ensure that the people within the building get to safety without being affected by fire or smoke. Means of escape means that the corridors, windows stairways are positioned and also designed in such a way that the occupants can easily use them to escape in case of a fire. It is always preferred that the means of escape should allow the occupants to leave the affected premises unaided by external parties. 4.0 Building regulations According to the building Act, there are building regulations that have to be adhered to by each building in United Kingdom. These regulations are normally put in place by the secretary of the environment in the state. This is exercising the powers provided by parliament. These regulations are a set of safety standards that are approved. Each and every nation has rules and regulations that have to be adhered to when constructing buildings. These regulations help in ensuring that any occurrence of fire does not spread throughout a building. Buildings are required to have different structures or facilities of safety that help prevent fire from spreading to the entire building. Regulations in United Kingdom also require that the buildings are built in such a way that smoke will not easily spread to the whole building in case of a fire. (Morgan, 2005) Linings Building regulations require that buildings have to be made using materials that are not inflammable. For instance, the walls have to be lined with materials that cannot easily burn. The linings usually play a very big role in ensuring that fire in one room does not easily accelerate to the whole building. Government regulations require that ceilings and also wall surfaces be made of non-flammable materials. Therefore through this, any fire starting in any of the rooms will not easily spread out to the whole building. Structure It is a requirement that any building should have a very firm structure. This means that in case fire occurs in any of the rooms, the building cannot collapse. This clearly indicates that the building should contain or resist the fire. That is why building regulations require that any building has to have compartments that are fire tight. (Morgan, 2005) This also helps in controlling the fire from spreading from one room to another and hence protection of the whole building. Analysis shows that many buildings usually have cavities within walls that make fire to spread easily. Through these cavities, fire can actually spread easily without anyone noticing. (Morgan, 2005) That is why building regulations in United Kingdom require that each and every cavity within walls have to have breaks inserted. This prevents fire from easily spreading from one room to another and reduces the risk of the whole building burning. It is also a requirement that buildings be built in such a way that fire will not easily spread from one building to the next. This is carried out by ensuring that the outside walls are built using materials of high fire resistance. (Morgan, 2005) 5.0 Mechanical and electrical protection There are usually various mechanical and electrical means of protecting a building from a fire outbreak. It is always a requirement that fire precautions that are quite special in nature be put in place. This is especially at the workplaces. This is also in relation to the type of work that is being carried out. These precautions are also related to how articles within the workplace are stored. This is normally carried out in order to reduce the risk of a fire starting or spreading to the whole building if it does occur. These precautions include the following; (Robertson, 1989) Using equipment that will not ignite easily Putting in place proper ventilation to help remove inflammable gases within the premises Ensuring that inflammable liquids are well stored in areas where they wont easily ignite Putting in place proper extraction systems that will help remove flammable materials at the workplace This includes ensuring that all the electrical installations are tested. There also has to be provision in the installations and the design that is quite reasonable. In case there are any appliances that produce heat, then adequate supply of air has to be provided for the same during construction. Building regulations require that any appliance that produces heat should be fully considered. The exits within the building should be resistant to fire. The floors also have to be fire rated. The same thing is also carried out on the walls and the ceilings. This prevents fire from spreading to the whole building through ceilings and the walls. For instance, the fire rated floors usually help in preventing the fire from spreading from one floor to another especially in the case of storied building. (Robertson, 1989) It is also very important early warning has to be given to occupants within the building in case of a fire. There are different methods that are used to do so. They include automatic alarm systems like those of smoke and heat detection. Buildings usually have fire and smoke detection alarms that play a very big role in alerting occupants in case of fire. This is quite essential as sometimes fire can occur in areas where it is hard for people to notice. This highly helps people to get to a place of safety before a fire spreads throughout the entire buildings. Fire and smoke alarms are normally automatic and through their use, many lives and property can be saved. (NFPA, 1993) 6.0 Conclusion Fire risk assessment is quite imperative as it enables proper planning in order to alleviate or reduce the risks. There are building regulations that give guidelines on standards that buildings have to adhere to. These help in preventing fire from spreading throughout the whole building. They also include mechanical and electrical measures. It is a requirement that various means of escape be put in place in all buildings. Proper systems also have to be put in place in order to give early warning in case of a fire. This enables the people within the premises to easily get to a place of safety. Through adherence of all these fire safety measures then the risks of death, injury or the destruction of property at workplace will be greatly minimised if not alleviated. 7.0 Recommendation It is highly recommended that buildings adhere fully to building regulations in United Kingdom. This is especially through ensuring that reliable means of escape are put in place. Both electrical and mechanical precautions should be put in place to prevent fire from spreading throughout the entire building. It is also highly recommended that management in commercial buildings ensure that fire risk assessments are carried out as per U.K regulations. Read More