A typically asked question by landlords, building owners and those responsible for managing fire safety is– can I do my own fire risk analysis?
In this short article, we’re going to reveal why it is possible– but may not actually be the proper decision to make. Who are we? Fire Risk Assessment
The short answer is ‘Of course – you can carry out your own fire risk analysis’, there is virtually nothing stopping you from Googling an online design template for a fire risk analysis and filling out the fields to define your property, what you do, and any risks you can identify from the limited expertise you have. If in doubt get in touch Find Out More
You might even do your own research, perhaps even enroll in a fire safety course. This may have been reasonable prior to 2005, as the fire service used to check out your property and carry out an audit to provide you with a fire certificate. However, since then, the requirements and law for fire safety became much more strict and things changed dramatically.
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 definitely brought under examination, but the meaning has since been made very obvious:
A suitable and sufficient fire risk analysis can only be carried out by a competent person.
‘Competent’ can be defined as someone with enough 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 property, and the proper attitude 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 inspectors.
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