Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
particularly if the works involve parts of the passive fi re
safety protection arrangements such as fi re compartment
walls, fi re doors, etc. On-site monitoring may be
carried out by the project management team, facilities
team or by the local staff in the area of the works.
The staff carrying out the monitoring will need
access to information regarding the extent of the work to
be carried out and the methods of work to be followed
in order to properly judge the actions of the contractor.
This may require the staff given the task of overseeing
the work being provided with copies of the contractor’s
method statements particularly in relation to hot work.
The procedure should include reporting channels for
non-compliance issues and formal feedback of performance
standards.
All staff within an organisation should be encouraged
to observe the activities of contractors and report
any circumstances they feel to be unsafe to the relevant
person within their business area.
On completion of the works, or at predetermined
periods during contracts of long duration, the client
(for whom the contractor is working) should carry out
a formal review of the performance of the contractor
against the requirements of the contract and their own
safety method statements.
This should include the safety performance of the
contractor (such as obstructing fi re exits, smoking, etc.)
as well as the technical aspects of the works (such as
installation of fi xed fi re fi ghting systems). The formal
review of performance should be used in determining
whether the contractor is used on future contracts.
11.5.3 Annual reviews and reports
The process of completing ongoing reviews in order to
assess the effectiveness of the fi re safety management
system will also provide the core information for an
annual review and report to be published. In many sectors
of industry annual reviews are conducted to ensure
the organisation’s compliance with, not only the principles
of safety managements, but also the requirements
of corporate accountability.
Guidance issued by the Institute of Chartered
Accountants (known as the Turnbull Report) in September
1999 for companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
identifi ed that the board of the organisation should
maintain a sound system of internal control in order to
safeguard the organisation’s shareholders’ investment
and the organisation’s assets.
The guidance goes on to say that the directors
should at least annually conduct a review of the
effectiveness of control systems and provide a report to
shareholders. To meet the requirements of the guidance
the review should cover all controls, including fi nancial,
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operations and compliance controls, together with risk
management, which includes the risks associated with
fi re, particularly, as already discussed, the consequences
of fi re having a devastating effect upon a business.
The annual review and its subsequent report are
therefore likely to include details of the following:
➤ An outline of the current fi re safety policy and
changes that may have been made to it to refl ect
management and operational contingencies
➤ Any changes to management structure from previous
reports, e.g. nomination of a ‘responsible person’
under the RRFSO
➤ An overview of the facilities/premises
➤ The fi ndings of risk assessments and fi re safety
inspections – particularly those that will require or
have required high levels of resources
➤ Details of any fi res, false alarms, near miss incidents
and the results of investigations and subsequent
actions
➤ Details of communication with the enforcing authorities,
i.e. the local fi re authority and the Health and
Safety Executive
➤ Changes to legislation that have or will affect the
organisation’s fi re safety management system
➤ Findings of the insurers when considering insurance
premiums or claims
➤ Information from consultation with employees’ representative
bodies
➤ Effectiveness of controls including emergency evacuation
exercises.
The review will take into account the fi ndings of previous
review reports and provide an outline of the actions
required to ensure continuous improvement in the management
of fi re safety within the organisation.
The review process, from the initial status review
through to a formal annual review report, must be seen
as a critical element in the overall fi re safety management
system.
11.6 Case study
In 2004, a new management company was in the process
of taking over the facilities management of a shopping
mall in a large town development in the South East.
The development included 42 commercial units, a small
restaurant facility and large multi-storey car park, including
an underground car park and plant room. Shortly
after the management company took control of the
premises, they were advised by their insurance company
of a reasonably substantial increase in the premiums due
to a number of fi res occurring in similar facilities within
the region.