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Fire Risk Assessment is an important part of fire safety in any building, and it is similar to other kinds of Risk Assessment. Risk Assessment is a fact-finding exercise and it plays an important part in not only preventing fires, but making sure that there are plans in place to make sure everybody knows about the emergency and is safely evacuated from the building.
Please also see the Fire Prevention page for additional information about fire safety and some typical fire hazards.
1. Look for the hazards
Fire hazards broadly fit into three categories. These three elements come together in what is known as the 'fire triangle', and are:
- Sources of flame or heat, known as 'Ignition Sources'.
- Materials that could catch fire, known as 'Fuel Sources'.
- Sources of oxygen.
More details about each of the above categories is provided below.
Look around the building to identify as many of these kinds of fire hazards as possible. Don't forget to include areas of the building that you don't use often, like boiler rooms, basements and attics.
A useful technique is to use a floor plan to mark on the hazards so that you can see exactly where the problems are: Simply mark a cross 'X' where the ignition source is or a 'O' where a fuel source is. An arrow could be used for oxygen sources if needed. Write next to it a brief description of the hazard. This method can be useful to help you see where the hazards are in the building.
Ignition Sources
Look around the building to see what could be a significant source of ignition. The following are some examples of common ignition sources:
- Smokers materials
- Candles and other naked flames
- Matches and lighters, especially in the hands of children who might play with them
- Heaters, boiler systems and other heating equipment
- Cookers, microwaves and other cooking or food preparation equipment
- Electrical appliances and installations
- Moving parts of machinery, where friction can cause the build up of heat
- Arson
- Maintenance works including hot works (work such as plumbing which requires the use of naked flames)
Fuel Sources
Fuel sources include anything that can be burnt in a fire. There are a number of classes of materials that could burn, including:
- Class A - which includes solid materials like wood, textiles, paper etc...
- Class B - which are flammable liquids, including paint, thinners, petrol etc...
- Class C - which are flammable gases, such as LPG or natural gas
Fire may be spread from an ignition source to sources of fuel (or indeed between fuel sources which might be different classes). There are four main ways of fire spread:
- Direct contact with burning materials. A flame can be transferred from materials that are presently burning to other nearby materials. A flame might not need to come into contact with the material itself, as fumes given off might be flammable.
- Conduction. Some materials readily conduct or transfer heat from one part to another. A steel beam that has been exposed to fire on one side, for example, will get hot through its entire length. Typically, metal objects that pass through walls can be a problem if they are not adequately protected and fire stopped.
- Radiation. The infrared radiation given off by a fire can usually be felt on the skin. Similarly, fuel objects will absorb this same heat energy to a greater or lesser extent, which can give rise to the items catching fire.
- Convection. Hot air rises. This hot air might be hot enough to cause other materials to catch light, and these materials do not need direct contact with the flame. A classic example is a flower arrangement that is placed directly above a candle - the flowers dry out and become tinder dry before catching light. In some cases, convection currents might carry burning embers.
Oxygen Sources
Oxygen is a constituent part of air, but consider how ventilators, air conditioning systems and windows could contribute to the fire by either allowing fresh air in or by circulating air within the building. Some materials, known as oxidising materials, also give off oxygen when heated and must be handled with care.
2. Decide who might be harmed
Initially, any person who is immediately near to the fire would be at risk. As a fire increases in intensity, so will the number of people who are at risk from the fire because the smoke and heat will spread. People trying to evacuate the building might be affected by smoke if a fire is in a nearby room, and this needs to be shown in your Risk Assessment if there is a higher than normal chance of smoke spreading. The effects of smoke spreading within the building might be increased with the use of ventilators, air conditioning systems and open doors.
Initially consider the number of people that will be near to the location of the fire and consider how the fire could affect them. Take note of any hazardous materials that could be explosive, or situations where fire could spread very rapidly. From this starting point, think about how other people within the building - and indeed others who might be passing by the building - could be affected by the fire.
Many Places of Worship are open to members of the public, so the assessment must also consider these people. This is especially important as these people might not know the building layout, alarm warning signals and procedures. It is also wise to consider how a fire might affect passers by and nearby buildings.
In your assessment, think about if there are any disabled, elderly, young children or babies at risk should there be an outbreak of fire. In some cases, special arrangements might be required to ensure these people can be evacuated from the premises safely if they are not able to do so by themselves.
Note too that you must assess for cleaners, contractors and anybody else that come into contact with your building, paying close attention to those who work alone where they might not be made aware of an outbreak of fire.
3. Evaluate the risk
Using the information you have gathered about the hazard (like the number of people at risk), work out if the risk is HIGH, MEDIUM or LOW. With this system, careful judgement is needed because it is very easy to under estimate the risk (which is human nature). Risks should only be marked as low if you are happy that the measures you have adequately control the hazard. Medium risks are typical if there is some room for improvement, and high risks tend to be for things that need closer attention.
The main aim should be to prevent fire starting in the first place. However, should a fire happen, it is important to make sure that people know as quickly as possible and can get to safety.
Some typical control measures that can be put into place are:
- Security systems and CCTV to prevent arson attacks
- Fire doors with close-fitting smoke seals
- Fire detection and alarm systems, which are tested weekly and serviced every six months
- Extinguishers which are of the correct type and in the right places, being checked regularly and maintained
- People trained in the use of extinguishers
- Safety inspections and tours
- Portable (electrical) appliance testing
- Electrical installation tests
- Routine maintenance of premises and equipment
- Isolation of electrical equipment that is not being used
- Supervision of hot work
- Not leaving lighted candles unsupervised
- Putting candles and matches away when not needed
- Keeping exit routes clear of obstructions and ensuring they can be used by any person quickly in an emergency
- Preventing the build up of rubbish and bric-a-brac
- Easy to follow fire evacuation procedures
- Clear plans and procedures for calling the emergency services
- Holding regular practice fire drills
- Control of contractors through permit to work systems
- Training people in fire safety
4. Record your findings
Where fewer than five people are employed there is no need to write down the assessments, however, a written record is suggested as being useful for future reference and is valuable for insurance reasons.
You must be able to show on the assessment that the following objectives have been met:
There has been a proper check for hazards in your building and you have asked other people (such as employees);
Action has been taken against the major hazards to reduce the risks to an acceptable level;
The things have been done are good enough and reduce the risk as much as possible.
The exact format that your assessment takes is totally up to you. The assessment should include the name and address of the premises that has been assessed (or the area of the building that has been assessed), the date of the assessment, the names of the people who did the assessment and the date of the next planned review.
It is recommended that you use a clearly marked ring binder to hold all risk assessments in one place. If you have taken any actions to further reduce the risks, also make a note of this. Finally tell people about the findings of your assessments and a fire safety policy and evacuation plan is a good way to do this.
5. Review and Revise
Risk Assessments should be reviewed occasionally to ensure that they remain valid. For most Places of Worship, a review every 12 months should be adequate.
If you have never done a Risk Assessment before, it is a good idea to review them in about six months time as you are likely to be more able to spot hazards and make a judgement about the risk.
If there are significant changes, the Risk Assessment might need to be reviewed and this should be seen as part of the planning process of any new project or change. It is also important to check the Risk Assessment after any fire or near-miss that could have lead to a fire.
Each time you review and revise your Risk Assessment, you are likely to identify new hazards, think of new control measures and make further improvements. Always aim to make improvements.
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