Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Figure 3.13 Designers have a responsibility for the safety
of all others
➤ Any relevant British/European standard, e.g. BS
5839 Part 1/fi re detection and fi re alarm systems
in buildings.
3.9.2 Construction Phase plan
A Construction Phase plan is essentially a collection of
information about the signifi cant health, safety, environmental
and fi re risks of the project. The plan will initially
be based upon information provided by the client, the
designer and the coordinator’s own assessment of the
risks inherent in the project, and will provide the health
and safety management plan during the construction
phase.
The initial plan should include:
➤ A general description of the nature of the project
and intended completion times
➤ Information regarding the existing structure and
environment. This will include fi re hazard information
from the client
➤ Details of the organisation for fi re safety management
and liaison during the project
Organising for safety
➤ Details of signifi cant risks which cannot be avoided
at the design stage and any fi re risks created by the
design or specifi cation of the structure
➤ Information regarding the overlap with the client’s
undertaking including the arrangements for fi re
emergency and any other site rules laid down by the
client, e.g. smoking policy
➤ Other safety information, e.g. means of escape in
case of fi re and fi re fi ghting facilities, signage rating
to the arrangements for highly fl ammable liquids and
liquefi ed petroleum gases.
This will amount to a list of hazards for which the principal
contractor must develop suitable control measures.
Health and safety fi le
The CDM coordinator has the legal duty under CDM to
ensure that the health and safety fi le is compiled for the
completed building and mechanical and electrical services,
etc. within. The fi le is then handed to the client on
completion of the project. The client must then ensure
that the fi le is kept safe and is available for any interested
party in the future.
The purpose of the health and safety fi le is to
provide all of the relevant details regarding the structure
and services, etc. within to anyone who in the future
may be carrying out further construction work, repairs,
maintenance or refurbishment of the building or facility.
The precise content of the fi le will depend upon the
nature and complexity of the structure. However, the
information contained in the fi le will be provided in part
by the designer and in part by the principal contractor
and, in reality, it may well be that the bulk of the work in
compiling the fi le will be done by the principal contractor
as they will be in fi rst capture of the information.
3.10 Case study
In 1996 the owners of a large chemical plant were prosecuted
under section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work
etc. Act 1974 as a result of their failure to comply with
section 3(1) of HSWA when an employee of the specialist
contractors, who had been hired to carry out a repair
to the lining of a tank within the plant, was seriously
injured as a result of inadequate fi re safety management.
During the case it was heard that acetone was
ignited by a damaged light bulb.
The plant was shut down for its annual maintenance
and a small fi rm of specialist contractors was repairing
the lining of a tank. An employee of the contractors was
working in the tank by the light of an electric light bulb
attached to a lead.
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