Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Door closer
Fire door
Keep shut
Figure 1.17 Emergency routes and exits
Maintenance of facilities, equipment and devices
The premises and any facilities, equipment and devices
provided to minimise the fi re risk must be subject to a
suitable system of maintenance and necessary testing
to ensure that they are maintained in an effi cient state,
an effi cient working order and in good repair.
Establishing a maintenance scheme can fall on a
number of responsible persons either individually or
together. These include the employer or occupier of
the premise or any other premises forming part of the
building, or dependent upon contract terms of the owner
or management company.
Safety assistance (competent person or persons)
The responsible person is required to appoint one or
more competent persons to assist in undertaking the
preventive and protective measures. The need for
appointing more than one person will be dependent
upon the size and the distribution of the risks throughout
the premises and activities together with the time and
means available to fulfi l their functions.
It may be that appointments are made from outside
the organisation, e.g. a consultant, if this is the case
adequate information must be provided by the responsible
person to enable the competent person/s to
undertake their role.
Under the RRFSO a person is to be regarded as
competent where they have suffi cient ‘training and
experience or knowledge and other qualities’ for them
Fire safety foundations
to provide assistance in undertaking the preventive and
protective measures.
Information, training and consultation
Information must be provided by the responsible person
as to the following:
➤ The risks identifi ed by the risk assessment and any
preventive and protective measures required to
minimise the risks
➤ The emergency procedures
➤ The identities of nominated competent persons.
This information should be provided to employees and
other relevant persons including contractors and others
who may be affected by fi re in the workplace.
In addition similar information regarding dangerous
substances should also be provided (materials safety
data sheets, etc.). Where children may be affected by
the responsible person’s operations the information
should be provided to their parent/guardian, etc.
The RRFSO requires that ‘adequate safety training
be provided’, to ensure persons have a knowledge of fi re
safety measures and their role in securing them. Such a
programme of training should start at induction and be
refreshed regularly taking into account changes in risk,
job, technology etc.
As in the case of health and safety legislation the
RRFSO requires that under Safety Representatives and
Safety Committees Regulations 1977 and the Health
and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations
1996 the responsible person has the duty to consult the
employees on matters relating to safety.
Legal enforcement of the RRFSO
Enforcement of this Order is generally the responsibility
of the local fi re and rescue authority for the area in which
the premises are situated.
The HSE still retains responsibility for the enforcement
of some specifi ed areas, these are:
➤ Construction industry
➤ Ship building/repair
➤ Nuclear installations
➤ Defence bases
➤ Crown owned premises.
The relevant local authority also retains enforcement for
premises which consist of:
➤ Sports ground designated as requiring a safety certifi
cate under the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975
➤ A regulated stand under the Fire Safety and Safety
of Places of Sport Act 1987.
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