Fire Risk Assessments: Do-it-yourself or hiring a professional Fire Risk Assessor?

Fire Risk Assessments: Do it yourself or hire a professional Fire Risk Assessor?

Fire safety is a critical aspect of your company's procedures. Ensuring that your employees, customers, and assets are safe in a fire is a legal obligation and a responsible business practice. In fact, as a business owner or manager, you may be the person defined in the Fire Safety legislation as the ‘Responsible Person’, essentially meaning the book stops with you when it comes to fire safety.

Fire risk assessments should be conducted regularly, an annual assessment programme is highly recommended as this is one of the key ways to ensure that your business is ‘fire-safe’. However, it may be best to hire a professional fire risk assessor to conduct these assessments.

Here are several benefits of using a professional fire risk assessor for your business in the UK

Expertise and Experience

Professional fire risk assessors have had specific training, retain a special set of skills, a specific knowledge base, and fire safety experience that enables them to conduct comprehensive fire safety assessments. A professional fire risk assessor can identify potential risks and hazards and provide practical recommendations to mitigate them. Their experience working with different businesses ensures that they can efficiently analyse your premises and identify fire safety needs specific to your company.

Compliance with Regulations

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 stipulates that every organisation with over five employees must carry out and record a fire risk assessment and implement necessary measures to ensure fire safety measures are effectively deployed. A professional fire risk assessor will assist you to make sure that your business comp with the Fire Safety Order’s requirements. This reduces the risk of non-compliance when inspected by an enforcing authority.  Ignorance of the legislation or guidance is not an appropriate excuse and penalties or legal action can be taken against you.

Cost-saving

A professional fire risk assessor can help you save costs in the long run by identifying cost-effective solutions to mitigate potential hazards. Additionally, a comprehensive fire risk assessment will identify potential fire safety risks within your premises and action response plans to help minimize the effects of a fire. With a solid fire safety procedures and a fire strategy in place, you are doing your best to prevent fires, keep people safe, and minimise damage in the event of a fire incident.

Decreased Liability

Fire risks and hazards in the workplace can cause injury or property damage, exposing your business to potentially costly litigation and reputational damage. Ensuring that your company is compliant with the necessary regulations will provide you with the security that you have identified your hazards and had a professionally prepared action plan you can work on to achieve a safe environment.

Improved Employee Safety

Your employees' safety is paramount in ensuring not only ethical management practices but in ensuring business continuity and productivity. A professional fire risk assessor will identify potential hazards and work with you to reduce the likelihood of any fire occurring. This helps to ensure the workplace is a safer working environment for your team. Your employees should understand their roles and what to do in case of a fire, reducing the risk of injury and panic in case of an emergency. Additionally, employees are more likely to trust employers who prioritise their safety and well-being.

Peace of Mind

Instructing a professional fire risk assessor to evaluate your business’s fire risk means that you can rest easy knowing that you have done all that is necessary to secure your company, employees, and assets. Such peace of mind allows you to focus on your core business operations without worrying about potential fire risks, having to spend time and money in learning a new skill in fire risk assessing, or undergoing training in safety compliance requirements.

Conclusion

Ensuring your business is fire-safe and compliant with the necessary regulations is essential to protecting yourself, your employees, and your assets and enabling operational continuity. Although you may conduct regular fire risk assessments yourself, seeking expert help from a professional fire risk assessor is beneficial. The experience, expertise, and cost-saving benefits outweigh the initial expense of hiring them, and it guarantees fire safety compliance, decreased liability, improved employee safety, and, most importantly, peace of mind.  The team at Ocelot Fire Consultancy are here to help you achieve this.  If you need a Fire Risk assessment contact the team today.

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