The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 that came into effect in October 2006, replaced over seventy pieces of previous fire safety law. Fire certificates are no longer issued and have been replaced with the requirement for a Fire Risk Assessment. Employers are now solely responsible for fire safety within their workplaces. These new laws apply to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales, including those responsible for business premises, an employer or self-employed with business premises, responsible for a part of a dwelling where that part is solely used for business purposes, a charity or voluntary organisation or a contractor with a degree of control over any premises. If you fall in to any of these categories, then you are legally required to carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain a fire management plan. So what exactly is risk assessment? It is an organised look at different contributions in your workplace that could ultimately cause harm to people. It allows you to weigh up whether you have taken enough precautions or should do more to avoid harm. Regardless of any previous approval before 2006, you will need to carry out a fire risk assessment if you haven't already done so. If the previous assessment covered all the matters required by the fire regulations and conditions have not changed, then your fire risk assessment will hopefully show that few, if any, additional precautions are needed. Although best practice states that it would be better if the competent person is an employee, the legislation recognises the fact that many small and medium sized businesses simply do not have the resources in time or money to have an employee committed full time to this work, and therefore allows for the appointment of third party assistance to complete the Fire Risk Assessment. The aim of this assessment is to develop the candidate's knowledge and abilities in the field of fire risk assessment. The chosen employee will identify fire hazards and people who are at risk. Training will cover practical fire risk assessments, strategic approaches and practical application as well as best practice fire prevention, reducing and removing fire risks, record keeping and what is involved in the review process. As part of the fire risk assessment, attendees will also take part in some fire awareness training. At the end of the assessment, attendees will be able to interpret and apply the 2005 Fire Safety Order in their own working environments. It is important that you carry out your fire risk assessment in a practical and systematic way. It should take the whole of the workplace into account, including outdoor locations and any rooms and even areas which are rarely used. It's also a good idea to get feedback on improvements from all staff, not just the nominated fire safety representative as any additional knowledge that could help save lives will be invaluable.
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