Domestic and Commercial Fires
In the UK alone there are in excess of 100,000 accidental fires in populated buildings resulting in over 600 fatalities. Many believe these figures are unacceptable and that a fair percentage of fire related injuries and deaths are also avoidable. So what can be done to save more lives?
The Law
Fire safety is now being given extra legal focus which is reflected in new Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order which comes into force in April 2006. This new legislation includes the requirement for employers to carry out a fire safety risk assessment and act upon its findings.
Risk Assessments
There are many changes organisations can employ to make their buildings safer and escape procedures better and these improvements are best identified by carrying out a fire safety risk assessment.
If you have the time and expertise to do this ‘in-house’ then all when and good but often this task is best left to the professionals. Make sure that any company offering this service only employs assessors with a minimum of 10 years experience in the fire brigad. Also their knowledge and efficiency means that an assessment is usually completed well within a day, if its going to take longer than that, they may simply not be up to the job. Also remember that by using outside experts companies usually find that it’s more cost effective and assures them of legal compliance.
At the end of the survey you should get a user friendly report provided identifying time saving checks and procedures to keep your organisation’fire safe’. Let’s make this clear - a fire safety risk assessment is not meant to make life difficult for businesses, it is supposed to fit into the time constraints and the culture of an organisation and this should always be the objective of any bone-fide company. The HSE and Fire Service will be carrying out spot inspections. If companies with 5 employees or more haven’t completed a fire safety risk assessment they will be breaking the law
Companies are unlikely to be insured if they haven’t done a fire safety risk assessment, this could put your organsiation out of business for good
Helping you and your staff
In a real fire situation it is how people react and the assistance they are given that can make the real difference between life or death. The staggering fact is that you are four times more likely to be critically injured from smoke than fire. The theory is if we all knew what to do when I fire breaks out and were provided with (and knew how to use!) a simple smoke filtering device then we would see fewer fatalities.
Smoke masks covering a wide variety of occasions are now available, but you also need the fire safety training that goes with them. By learning about the nature of fires and how to use escape kits and masks, you can give yourself the best chance of escaping a fire safely.
Did you know? Many fires produce a mixture of both harmful smoke particles and gases which pose the greatest risk of incapacity in an emergency situation
The first 15 minutes of a fire are often considered to be the most crucial and therefore knowing your fire safety routes and access to a smoke filtering device can help you escape a fire or smoke filled room
One of the first and natural human reactions to fires is to panic. An effective smoke mask can literally provide ‘breathing space’ to help you escape - the clearer the thinking the greater the likelihood of safe escape
Recommendations
Book your fire safety risk assessment now, April 2006 is only round the corner
Get the best smoke hood / mask you can afford for your staff. Better still opt for Emergency Evacuation packs that contains other evacuation tools as well
Know how to don your smoke hood / mask and know your escape routes - you won’t have time to learn if a fire starts near you!
Adrian Simpson - www.emergency-evacuation.co.uk
Adrian has been involved for many years in the areas of food and health and safety, his Health and Safety Group being dedicated to assisting business’s cope with todays complicated H%2526S laws in the UK.
