Regardless of site size or business, fire safety should be a paramount concern for any commercial establishment. One of the most crucial steps that should be taken is a fire safety audit. In this blog post, we explore the role of fire safety audits in risk management as well as what they entail and more.
Commercial sites are central to business activity, housing a range of valuable assets as well as a large number of people. This, combined with a range of risks found in such sites, makes risk management a high priority for commercial sites. Fire hazards are one of the most prevalent of these risks with commercial sites often found to have electrical faults, flammable materials, or even pose risks due to structural vulnerabilities. Furthermore, commercial sites often lack adequate emergency responses and fire safety equipment in the event of a fire developing. Consequently, these risks can lead to asset damage, financial loss, interruptions to business and loss of life. In order to identify, assess and mitigate these risks, it is crucial that commercial sites have effective risk management strategies in place.
Fire safety audits are an assessment of the fire safety measures and procedures in place in a commercial site. These assessments look at how well-prepared a commercial site is in the case of fire. The audit assesses prevention, detection and response procedures that are in place. Fire safety audits are conducted by a professional organisation that is an expert in fire safety. The qualified individuals will look at a range of things associated with fire safety, whether that be building infrastructure, emergency response systems, suppression systems, evacuation plans that are in place or fire safety training.
During a fire safety audit, you can expect the following:
Following the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Audit 2005, the government states that fire safety audits are a legal requirement for all commercial premises. This law is in place to ensure the highest level of safety for all employees and visitors. The law instructs that the following steps should be taken to carry out a fire safety assessment:
Fire safety audits play a fundamental and far-reaching role in the risk management of commercial sites, some of these include:
By taking the step to identify any potential fire hazards and vulnerabilities in your commercial site, your business is taking a proactive approach to fire risk management. This ensures that these risks can be mitigated before they develop into an emergency. Proactive risk management means implementing preventative measures, ensuring up-to-date and well-equipped fire safety equipment, and assuring that staff are adequately trained in the case of a fire emergency.
Conducting a fire safety audit ensures your business remains compliant with regulations such as the 2005 fire safety audit reform. By adhering to these regulations, your business can avoid the risk of legal repercussions.
Fire safety audits first and foremost play an imperative role in enhancing the safety of your commercial site. These audits reduce the chance of serious damage to your site as a result of a fire through improvement to management and prevention strategies. Overall this will minimise risks to life, assets and financial performance.
Fire safety audits will help the long-term safety of your business. They are aimed at assessing evolving risks and ensuring that safety measures remain up-to-date and effective for your commercial site.
At BusinessWatch, we are a leading provider of fire safety solutions. We offer comprehensive fire safety audits that ensure total compliance with PAS79-1:2020, and British Standard specifications and methodology for conducting a fire safety audit.
But why choose BusinessWatch? Our 30+ years of experience in the fire safety sector makes us the one for the job. Our knowledge and expertise mean you can rest assured that your commercial site will have the highest level of fire safety measures in place. All of our engineers are IFE-approved and have years of conducting assessments for all sizes of premises.
To get in contact and ensure your commercial site has suitable, up-to-date fire safety measures and documentation in place, call us on 0330 094 7404, or click here for a free online quote.
