Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Circumstances that may require a review of the any
risk assessment may include:
➤ Changes of:
➤ The premises – internal or external layout
➤ The people affected – numbers, ages, disabilities
➤ The plant or tools – power supplies, heating
systems
➤ The procedures in place – systems shutdown,
emergency arrangements
➤ The introduction of new work processes – hot work,
confi ned spaces mechanical handling
➤ Changes in legislation
➤ As a result of hazard reports
➤ Following a safety event (fi re/false alarm or
accident/incident)
➤ Results of occupational health assessment or
monitoring
➤ As a result of enforcement action
➤ Following consultation and discussion in a safety
committee meeting.
Having completed the initial assessment, it is important
to review the whole risk assessment process to
determine:
➤ The accuracy of the initial assessment
➤ The effectiveness, applicability and practicability of
the selected precautions
➤ Whether the risk assessment team operated
effectively.
Risk assessment should not be seen as a ‘one-off process’
but as an evolving exercise which continues to
improve the overall management of safety within the
workplace.
Figure 5.14 Reviewing and revising risk assessments
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5.6 Communicating the fi ndings of a risk
assessment
If risk assessments are going to be more than just words
in a docu ment then the signifi cant fi ndings need to be
acted upon. Managers and other staff need to understand
the risks in the workplace, what needs to be done
to control them and what role they have to play in the
process. The only way for the fi ndings of the risk assessment
to be effectively implemented is for them to be
effectively communicated.
Besides being a requirement of current legislation,
it is good business sense for the fi ndings of any risk
assessment to be communicated to all those who may
be affected. Groups of people who should be provided
with information should include, but not necessarily be
limited to:
➤ Employees
➤ Members of the management team (who are likely
to be involved with implementing the action plan)
➤ Visitors and contractors
➤ Other employers/employees sharing the workplace
➤ Landlord and ‘responsible persons’ (particularly in
the case of fi re).
There are a variety of different mechanisms by which
the signifi cant fi ndings can be communicated. It may
be that providing written copies of the assessment may
be effective, or the information is included in staff meetings,
tool box talks or other formalised programmes. The
information is also often included in pre-planned training
sessions as part of both induction and ongoing training
programmes.
The key issues that should be included in the
information provided from the fi re risk assessment are
Figure 5.15 Communicating the signifi cant fi ndings of
a risk assessment