Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Employees’ duties
Employees’ duties are twofold in that they should use
all work items provided by their employer in accordance
with the training and instructions they have received.
Employees are also duty bound to inform their employer
(and other persons who could be at risk) of any work
situation which they consider represents a serious and
imminent danger, and any shortcoming in the employer’s
protection arrangements.
Temporary workers
Temporary workers, together with those workers working
on a site on behalf of another company (e.g. contract
cleaners) and self-employed persons, must also be provided
with specifi ed health and safety information before
they commence their work for the employer.
New or expectant mothers
The regulations relate to employers of women of childbearing
age to include in their risk assessments risks to
new or expectant mothers. Where there are such risks,
Figure 1.14 New and expectant mothers
12
and they can be avoided by altering working conditions
or hours of work, this should be done. If it is not reasonable
to alter working conditions, or hours of work, or this
would not avoid the risk, the employee should be suspended
from work.
New or expectant mothers who work at night should
be suspended from work if they have a certifi cate from
a medical practitioner or midwife showing that this is
necessary for their health or safety.
Employers are not duty bound to avoid risk unless
they have been notifi ed in writing by an employee that
she is pregnant (certifi cate from a medical practitioner
or midwife), given birth within the previous six months,
or is breast feeding.
Protection of young persons
Every employer must ensure that young persons
employed by them are protected from the additional risks
which they are exposed to as a consequence of their
lack of experience, low awareness of risks, and lack of
physical and mental maturity. Young persons must not be
employed for some specifi ed tasks including tasks which
are beyond their physical or psychological capacity, for
example tasks:
➤ Which involve harmful exposure to agents which
chronically affect human health
➤ Involving harmful exposure to radiation
➤ Which pose a risk from extreme heat or cold, noise,
or vibration.
It is permitted for young persons to carry out such tasks
in the workplace provided that adequate training and
supervision are given.
An employer will therefore be required to complete a
full assessment of risks prior to young persons undertaking
work.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
(RRFSO)
The RRFSO 2005 came into effect on 1 October 2006, at
which time over 100 separate pieces of fi re-related legislation
have been revoked or amended. The RRFSO covers,
with very few exceptions, all non-domestic premises
and stands as the primary legislation for fi re safety in
England and Wales, with Scotland and Northern Ireland
being responsible for their own fi re safety legislation.
Scotland’s fi re safety legislation is enacted by the Fire
(Scotland) Act 2005.
In general terms the RRFSO refl ects the duties and
approach contained within the MHSW and employees’
duties under the HSWA. However, there are signifi cant