Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
Moreover, the responsible person is accountable
for appropriate training, provision of information and
a variety of other duties relating to the management
of fi re safety, such as the protection of young people,
managing risks from explosive atmospheres, consulting
with employees and other relevant persons, etc.
The control of risks from dangerous substances
If there are dangerous substances present in or near a
work premise, the responsible person must ensure that
the risk to all persons, including those on and off site,
is either eliminated or reduced so far as is reasonably
practical. Where the substance cannot be eliminated,
the judgement relating to what is reasonably practical
must be informed by the risk assessment and measures
must be introduced that:
➤ Control the risk at source
➤ Mitigate the effects of a fi re
➤ Ensure the safe handling, storage, transportation of
dangerous substances
➤ Maintain the necessary measures.
Additional emergency arrangements also need to be
made to reduce the effects of an accident, incident or
emergency relating to dangerous substances.
Fire fi ghting and detection
Where the risk assessment deems it necessary, the
responsible person must ensure that the premises are
provided with appropriate:
➤ Easily accessible fi re fi ghting equipment
➤ Fire detectors and alarms.
In addition to the provision of fi re fi ghting equipment,
detection and alarms, the responsible person must, in
the light of the fi ndings of the risk assessment, also:
➤ Take the appropriate measures in the premises for
fi re fi ghting
➤ Nominate competent persons to implement those
measures and ensure such persons have adequate
training and equipment
➤ Arrange contacts with any external emergency services
with particular regard to:
➤ Fire fi ghting
➤ Rescue work
➤ First aid, and
➤ Emergency medical care.
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Figure 1.16 Highly fl ammable substances
Emergency routes and exits
The responsible person must ensure that the routes to
emergency exits and the exits themselves are kept clear
at all times. In addition the order requires that:
➤ Emergency routes and exits must lead as directly as
possible to a place of safety
➤ It must be possible to evacuate the premises quickly
and safely
➤ The number, size and distribution of exits must be
adequate for the maximum numbers of persons who
may be present
➤ Emergency doors must open in the direction of
escape
➤ Sliding/revolving doors must not be used as emergency
exits
➤ Exit doors must be easily and immediately opened
by any person who may need to use them in an
emergency
➤ Escape routes must be indicated by signs
➤ Emergency routes and exits must be adequately
illuminated in the event of a failure of the normal
lighting.
Procedures for serious and imminent danger and for
danger areas
The responsible person also has a duty to establish
emergency procedures and test that those procedures
work. In the light of this they are also responsible for
nominating suffi cient numbers of competent persons to
implement the evacuation procedures and ensuring that
employees and others have been provided with suffi -
cient information regarding hazards, and their controls,
together with appropriate fi re safety and other related
safety training.