For many owners of commercial properties, discussions about fire alarm protection are often driven by third party bodies such as insurance companies, local fire officers, or fire risk assessors.
Sadly, for many, the subject of fire alarm protection is taken more seriously after a fire has occurred. There are around 20,000 fires at commercial premises every year and statistics show that a high number of businesses that experience disruption to their organisation suffer expense and loss of trade. This can be so serious that businesses go into administration within two years of a fire; this is without the added potential of serious injury or death to people on the site when the fire occurred!
At ARC Fire Safety & Security Ltd, we take regular precautions to ensure you are getting the best care and protection possible. Get in touch with our team to find out more.
The Regulatory Reform ( Fire Safety ) Order
To assist businesses in protecting their premises, employees and ability to continue trading, the Regulatory Reform Order or RRO has been put in place. The Order places the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out fire risk assessments and manage and reduce fire risk. The Order was made into law on June 7th 2005 and came into force in October 2006.
The Fire Safety Order defines the meaning of ‘Responsible Person’ in the context of both the Order and Fire Safety ( England) Regulations. The Responsible Person is the person who has control of the premises, such as an employer, landlord, owner etc and they are legally responsible for fire safety in the workplace. If these duties are designated to an employee, proof must be provided that this individual has been provided with suitable training to carry out the role.
In addition to the Order, The British Standards Institution put together a set of recommendations in BS5839-1-2017 which a Fire risk assessor and Fire alarm installer and service provider should base their advice and services on.
The RRO advises that a suitable fire risk assessment and review of the existing fire protection is carried out as per the advisory point: It is a legal requirement, as set out in Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 that assessments should be reviewed as follows:
(3) Any such assessment must be reviewed by the Responsible Person regularly to keep it up to date particularly if—
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(a) there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid; or
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(b) there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates including when the premises, special, technical and organisational measures, or organisation of the work undergo significant changes, extensions, or conversions.
This indicates that if any significant changes are made to a premise, whether or not they increase the potential risk of fire, an updated fire risk assessment will need to be conducted. This could include not only structural changes to the building, but also changes to the activities undertaken, a change of use, or a change in the type of people/occupancy using the building.
BS5839- 1 recommends that any fire alarm system design should be based on a defined system category and grade of protection with potentially supporting or additional requirements outlined by a third party body. The fire alarm design, works or ongoing service should be carried out by a suitably accredited and third party certificated fire alarm provider following the BS5839 recommendation wherever possible with any variations explained and documented. The fire alarm system should also be tested and inspected over two six monthly engineer inspections ( each year) with weekly tests by the client/site.
Next Steps
If you are in any doubt about the regulatory requirements of fire safety at your commercial premises, please contact ARC Fire Safety & Security for assistance.
For more comprehensive information regarding this blog, we encourage you to get in touch with us. Our team is on hand to address your questions and offer detailed insights into our cutting-edge fire safety protocols. Please reach out to ARC Fire Safety and Security to discover more about our diverse product offerings and to engage with our approachable team members today!