Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
3.9 The provision of buildings
As part of their responsibilities employers and responsible
persons are required to ensure that the workplaces
under their control are safe and fi t for purpose so far as
is reasonably practicable.
Whether the building or work facility is owned,
leased, or used as part of a shared building (e.g. where
more than one employer occupies a building) those in
control are obliged to establish formal arrangements for
the management of all aspects of safety including fi re.
Much depends upon the responsible person and/or
employer undertaking an assessment of, not only their
work activities but also the suitability of the building
or facility to allow them to undertake their operations
safely. It is true to say that a large proportion of organisations
do not undertake suffi ciently rigorous examination
of these areas prior to procuring their facilities.
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Extract from Dangerous Substances
and Explosive Atmospheres ACoP:
Certain gases (hydrogen, methane, propane
etc) are extremely fl ammable and come
within the scope of DSEAR. However the
gases themselves can also act as asphyxiants,
reducing the quantity of oxygen in the
workplace to the extent that life can be put
at risk. As a result, they will also satisfy the
defi nition of a substance hazardous to health
for the purposes of COSHH. In these circumstances,
employers will have duties to control
the risks from those substances under both
sets of regulations.
When considering undertaking furniture restoration
in a small section of a multi-occupied
warehouse the fi re safety impact of introducing
highly combustible materials and highly
fl ammable chemicals into a warehouse situation
must be assessed.
This assessment will need to draw information from
a range of sources. Perhaps the most signifi cant sources
of information relating to the safety of any building
including the suitability and limitation of its use are:
➤ Operations and maintenance manuals which should
be provided by those who manage the facilities
detailing how equipment operates and its maintenance
schedule
➤ Any previously issued fi re certifi cate or conditions of
licence issued by an enforcing authority
➤ The Health and Safety File as required under the
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
2007 (CDM).
Following the introduction of CDM in 1995 and subsequent
changes that came into effect in 2007, the requirement
was established to complete a health and safety
fi le when undertaking any new building or refurbishment.
The contents of this fi le are now probably the single
most important source of information relating to newer
buildings for those involved in the ongoing management
of fi re safety.
The main intention of the regulations is aimed at the
design and management aspects of the project and will
have the greatest effect at the planning stages. To that
end the regulations identify certain ‘key parties’ involved
in a construction project and impose duties upon all of
them for the safe completion of the project.
These key parties are:
➤ The Client
➤ The Designer
➤ The CDM Coordinator
➤ The Principal Contractor
➤ Other Contractors.
3.9.1 Duties of designers
Designers play a key role in construction projects.
Contractors have to manage risks on the site, but designers
can often eliminate or reduce them at source.
Any designer of a structure or part of a structure
must:
➤ Advise clients of their duties
➤ Take positive account of health and safety hazards
during design considerations
➤ Apply principles of prevention during the design
phase to eliminate, reduce or control hazards
➤ Consider measures that will protect all workers
if either avoidance or reduction to a safe level is
possible
➤ Make health and safety information available regarding
risks which cannot be designed out
➤ Cooperate with the coordinator and any other
designers involved
➤ Design the building and its mechanical and engineering
services to fully comply with:
➤ The functional requirements of the Building
Regulations which includes the provision of
adequate fi re safety