As the owner of a commercial property, be it as an employer, landlord, or occupier of a non‐domestic premises, you are responsible for ensuring your building meets fire safety standards.
Fire Safety Equipment Maintenance
As set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a ‘responsible person’ ‐ be it yourself or a nominated “competent” person ‐ must carry out a fire risk assessment to assess any fire hazards within the building, and take the necessary actions to reduce any fire risks and ensure all fire safety equipment is maintained at all times.
In this article, we discuss the importance of keeping fire safety equipment in perfect working order at all times.
Equipment Checks
It is essential that you have fire safety equipment in place in your commercial property, positioned in accessible locations should there ever be a fire.
Both passive and active fire safety equipment should be regularly checked for any signs of wear or damage, in order to ensure they are working correctly at all times.
Equipment checks can include:
- Fire Doors: Ensuring fire doors are operating correctly and can be shut without obstruction on a daily basis.
- Fire alarm testing: A weekly fire alarm test (on the same day and at the same time is best practice in order that employees and visitors to your site are aware that a test is being conducted).
- Get testing: Regular monthly testing of emergency lighting systems, fire extinguishers.
- Test all equipment: Any additional fire safety equipment in place such as fire blankets or sprinkler systems should also be tested.
Fire Extinguisher Maintenance
Fire extinguishers are a vital part of fire safety systems in commercial and industrial premises, providing an effective way of tackling small fires before they can spread and cause real damage to buildings and their contents.
It’s therefore essential to ensure that your fire extinguishers are frequently maintained and kept in a functional condition.
Your fire extinguishers should be maintained by a BAFE approved company, like us here at Fire Action, in order to guarantee they have been serviced by a competent person, whose service activities are approved by an accredited third party.
On a monthly basis, the pressure gauge should be checked on all fire extinguishers, and on a yearly basis it is a requirement that a qualified technician carries out a thorough check on all your extinguishers for any signs of damage, corrosion, and for them to be fully serviced and certified.
Fire Risk Assessments
In addition to carrying out regular maintenance checks on your fire safety equipment, fire risk assessments are an essential part of fire safety in the workplace.
Our qualified Fire Risk Assessment Consultants here at Fire Action can provide a comprehensive assessment of your commercial premises, and will also review existing assessments to ensure any necessary changes or comments are made.
Here at Fire Action, we provide a wide range of fire safety products and services, operating throughout the southeast region. For more information or to make an enquiry, contact our friendly team today ‐ we’ll be more than happy to help.