Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Where the review identifi es that changes are required,
these must be made.
Where the employer has fi ve or more employees,
they are required to record the signifi cant fi ndings or
their assessment including any group of employees who
are especially at risk.
Note: The purpose of the risk assessment is to enable
the duty holder to identify the measures they need to
take to comply with other relevant legislation.
15.24.2 Principles of prevention – regulation 4
In implementing any preventive and protective measures,
the employer is required to follow the principles of
prevention specifi ed in Schedule 1:
Schedule 1: General principles of prevention
Avoid risks to health and safety
Evaluate risks which cannot be avoided
Combat the risks at source
Adapt the work to the individual
Adapt to technological processes
Replace the dangerous with the non- or less dangerous
Develop a coherent overall prevention policy
Give priority to collective protective measures over individual
protective measures
Give appropriate instructions to employees
15.24.3 Health and safety arrangements –
regulation 5
Employers are required to have arrangements in place to
cover the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring
and review of the preventive and protective measures.
Where the employer has fi ve or more employees
they must record these arrangements.
15.24.4 Health surveillance – regulation 6
Employers should provide their employees with such
health surveillance as is appropriate having regard to the
risks to their health and safety.
The risk assessment should identify the need for
health surveillance under specifi c legislation, e.g. COSHH
(see earlier section). The employer should also provide
health surveillance where:
Summary of key legal requirements
➤ There is an identifi able disease or adverse health
condition related to the work concerned
➤ Valid techniques are available to detect indications
of the disease or condition
➤ There is a reasonable likelihood that the disease
or condition may occur under the particular work
circumstances
➤ Surveillance is likely to further protect the health and
safety of the employees concerned.
15.24.5 Health and safety assistance –
regulation 7
Every employer is required to appoint one or more competent
persons to assist them to comply with their legal
obligations under both health and safety and fi re safety
legislation.
The employer must also ensure that:
➤ The number of persons they appoint and
➤ The time available for them and
➤ The means at their disposal
are adequate.
In judging their competence, the employer must take
into account the training and experience or knowledge
and other qualities the appointee has to properly assist
the employer to comply.
Note: Industry best practice gives preference to the
appointment of in-house competent persons as opposed
to external consultants although they are commonly
used to support appointees and for specialist advice.
15.24.6 Procedures for serious and imminent
danger – regulation 8
The employer must:
➤ Establish procedures to be followed in the event of
serious and imminent danger to persons at work in
their undertaking
➤ Nominate a suffi cient number of competent persons
to implement evacuation procedures of those persons
➤ Ensure that none of their employees have access to
an area the employer occupies where it is necessary
to restrict access on health and safety grounds
unless the employee has received adequate health
and safety training.
The serious and imminent danger procedures should:
➤ Require any persons at work who are exposed to
serious and imminent danger to be informed of the
nature of the hazard and the steps taken or to be
taken to protect them from it
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