Fire Risk Assessments Exist For Employee Safety

Fire risk assessments exist for the safety of all employees in any given workplace, they not only identify possible fire risks and hazards, but they also involve measures to prevent fire and provide a guide as to what to do in the case of a fire emergency. There are a handful of key aspects of the assessment which can be followed to ensure the safety of all employees in the work environment as well as any customers in such places as retail and restaurants and the hospitality industry.

Follow these 4 steps:

1. Identify:
The first part of the series of fire risk assessments is to identify exactly what fire hazards might exist in the work place. There are multiple sources which could be a fire hazard, some of which are obvious and others which are not so obvious. Make a list unique to your work environment which could cause a fire risk. If your workplace is in a restaurant, the kitchen area is a prime example. Stoves, fryers, grilles, ovens and warming stations are all obvious examples of fire risk. Other not so obvious examples might be dishwashers, refrigerators, ice machines and other mechanical units.

2. People:
There will be some people who are more at risk for the dangers of fire and these people should be identified and further trained as to exactly what makes them have more risk and the conditions which present this. As examples, again in a restaurant environment, the kitchen staff is at much more risk for fire than the front of house staff, such as servers and bartenders. These at risk staff must be made more aware of why they are risk and how to prevent and deal with the risk.

3. Evaluation:
Once the hazards are identified and the people most at risk, then the evaluation can be made of the data collected as to what to do. This includes planning escape routes if there is a fire, what materials can help reduce the chance of fire or the severity of a fire if it breaks out (cleaning agents in a restaurant are often stored in the kitchen, these can often be flammable and if the number of these agents are kept to a minimum, the severity and chance of fire is lowered), what additional staff, such as cleaners need to be informed, how are customers made aware of exits and escapes. This is a key step in fire risk assessments.

4. Record:
And finally when all of this data has been collected and evaluated and processed and action plans have been made to accommodate the information, it is now time to record it all. This acts as training manuals for the future and as reference for the present. This will include fire escape routes, at risk people, chemical and other flammable material information and location, a list of all combustible materials and their placement in the workplace.

Fire risk assessments are designed to ensure the safety of all people who might happen to be in any workplace or commercial or business property. It is designed to help the employees and visitors prevent and be safe of fire.