Introduction to Fire Safety Management

➤ Location inspection:
➤ Site safety tours and site safety inspections
➤ Activity observation:
➤ Job safety analysis/task safety analysis (such as
hot work processes).
As part of the identifi cation of hazards, it is useful to use
HSE’s RIDDOR ‘accident categories’ as a means of identifying
the hazards by considering the causes of injury
which may arise. These categories cover slips, trips and
fall, falls from height and falling objects, collision with
objects or being trapped or crushed beneath or between
objects, manual handling, contact with machinery or hand
tools, electricity, transport, contact with hazardous chemicals,
asphyxiation/drowning, contact with animals, and
violence, not to forgetting of course fi re and explosion.
These categories have been adopted when trying
to identify hazards and risks in relation to general health
and safety; however, they may equally be applied when
considering the types of risk in relation to fi re which may
include:
➤ Slips, trips and falls (including those from height)
while evacuating
➤ Handling, lifting or carrying portable fi re fi ghting
equipment
➤ Being trapped by a wall collapsing
➤ Being asphyxiated from the inhalation of smoke
➤ Coming into contact with the release of harmful
substances
➤ Being exposed to fi re or explosion while undertaking
fi re fi ghting action
➤ Coming into contact with live electrical equipment
due to degradation of wiring during a fi re
➤ Coming into contact with moving machinery while
trying to shut down in the event of an emergency
Principles of risk assessment
➤ Being struck by a moving vehicle while evacuating
➤ Being assaulted by a person panicking in the event
of a fi re.
It is likely that the above list will not necessarily be
included in a fi re risk assessment (see later in the module);
however, each should be considered as part of a
general risk assessment.
In the same way, categories of health risk, i.e.
chemical, biological, physical, physiological, must also
be considered as part of a general risk assessment
process. Chemicals can obviously present a risk when
coming into contact with humans, whether or not it is as
a result of fi re, and the release of asbestos fi bres may
also present a signifi cant risk (see Chapter 7).
Many of the physical and potentially psychological
health risks can also be linked to a fi re scenario and thus
must be taken into account during the risk assessment
process.
It is also prudent when assessing hazard and risk
to make the distinction between acute (single instant
contact) and chronic (prolonged/repeated exposure) ill
health. It may be that the inhalation of smoke containing
toxic chemicals will cause death rapidly or that the inhal -
ation or exposure to less hazardous chemicals during the
fi re process may worsen conditions of a person who has
already been exposed over a period of time.
5.5.3 Identifying who is at risk
The third stage of the risk assessment process involves
identifying who could be harmed (i.e. who is at risk) and
how. When considering who is at risk, it is important to
consider all those who may be affected by the activity
or be on the premises, as well as those who are directly
involved. Groups of people who could be at risk may
include the following:
➤ Those directly involved with work within a facility, or
undertaking an activity – skilled operatives, trainees,
new workers
➤ Contractors – new contractors or regular maintenance
contractors
➤ Visitors – clients, business representatives, consultants,
regular visitors, fi rst time visitors, those who
only use facilities for meetings
➤ Members of the public and passers-by
Time
Acute Chronic
Figure 5.7 It is important to understand the nature of the
risks from fi re from hazards such as LPG cylinders Figure 5.8 Diagram illustrating ‘acute’ and ‘chronic’
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