How to Conduct a Fire Safety Risk Assessment Program? While it’s obvious that a fire can take place in spite of following all the needed fire safety measures, it’s also important to conduct fire safety risk assessment programs. The main purpose of conducting programs like these is to identify the probable hazards and based on that, reduce the probable risk of those hazards. Conducting assessment programs like these also helps figure out exactly what type of fire safety measurements need to be followed. If you are in charge of ensuring the safety of a particular workplace or a shopping mall, you must follow fire safety risk assessment programs in order to understand exactly what kind of safety the people will need, in the event of a fire. Here are the five steps following which you will be able to assess the risk of a fire –
Identify the fire hazards – First off, you need to identify the ignition sources as well as the materials that can fuel a fire. At the same time, you should also find out the oxygen supplies that will help the fire spread. Keep this in mind that these three are the basic components for a fire to start and if any of these is missing, the fire can’t start.
Recognize the people at risk – Once you have identified the probable sources of fire, you should focus on identifying the people who are most vulnerable. Make sure you find out the capability and number of people who are working, residing or occupying in the premise. You should also count the customers, contractors and frequent visitors who often pay a visit to the premise.
Evaluate the exact risk – The next step should be to examine the entire premise critically and identify all the potential actions or omissions that might cause a fire to start. This is important because once you know how exposed the premise is to the risk of fire, it will be easier for you to handle with those risks. It’s more important to evaluate the risks that you can’t avoid, and if you find any risk, you should combat those right at the source, if possible.
Record the assessment information – Once you carry out a fire safety risk assessment program, you should record all the findings in a systematic way. According to the fire safety law, the information needs to be recorded for every premise where there are more than five employees, or if the premise is subject to registration or licensing. While recording the findings, you must include all the important findings.
Review the fire safety risk assessment – Finally, you should review the fire safety risk assessment program at a regular interval. If the findings are subject to change, you should review the assessment program instantly. Situations like a fire occurrence, increase or introduction in the storage of different types of hazardous substances, changes to the work procedures or significant changes in the procedures of work should prompt a review of the risk assessment program.
These are the five most important steps following which a fire safety risk assessment program can be conducted. It’s also advisable to install a fire alarm system as it helps detect the occurrence of a fire in advance.
Original Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-conduct-fire-safety-risk-assessmentprogram-bhavna-singh