A fire risk assessment is a keen observation of the workers tasks and general condition of the workplace to highlight fire hazards which may result to death or harm. In fire risk assessment there are specific requirements which have been there implicitly for centuries. It is part of the general duty of care laws and regulations. This refers to the duty of taking reasonable care not to harm others (Schaenman 1982). The health and safety act of buildings and many other work places of 1974 require one to ensure by all means whatever is reasonably achievable is put in place to protect colleagues and others. Case law has shown that for one to undertake and achieve what is reasonable as far as health matters are concerned, then a fire risk assessment must be conducted and measures of reducing the risks to considerable level implemented. Also the management of health and safety (regulation 3) of 1999 explicitly calls for the undertaking of fire risk assessment. Due to the significance attached to fire risk implementation, all staff have a duty under the fore mentioned legislation (Jenaway 1996). It also includes even the students and visitors. In this report, the staff will be considered because if they are kept away from the fire risk taking adventure, then the outcome of the assessment would be inefficient and may fail to be in compliance with the legal specifications. In this case the staff will not be forced to be risk assessment professionals or hazard spotters but will be required to notify the concerned fire officers in case of fire prevention shortcomings(Robertson 1989).
Methodology employed
This assessment was carried out with the assistance of senior health and safety officials of the university after prior consultation with relevant Fire Rescue Service providers and was written according to the requirement of fire safety reform (Williamson 2002). A form and a table was used to determine the people at risk and to evaluate the risks involved (see appendix 1 and 2)
Identification of significant fire hazards
During the assessment, fire instances both in and out side of the Vernon building was determined. The following were identified as the major sources of fire risk
Fires from the CafesRefectories- the two buildings have cafes and or refectories. The cafes operate twenty four hours, meaning that fire risk can take place any time.
Fires from smoking- although the university adopts a non-smoking policy, there are exceptional cases to cater for visitors. This is because the building is used by even the outside community for conferences.
Electric shock- fire from malfunctioning sockets.
The people at risk
The following groups of people were identified to be at risk
Students-since the building is busy for twenty fours hours, students keep on walking in and out of the building. This implies that at any given time there is presence of students.
Staff-both junior and senior university staff who work either full or part time.
Visitors-the building is mainly used for holding conferences. People from all over the world come in for meetings.
The disabled-in between the two buildings there is parking for disabled people .this is a clear indication that the building is frequently used by the lame. In this assessment the disable people were identified to be more vulnerable in case of fire (Robertson 1989).
Evaluation of the risk
The building is used by a variety of people, including both young and mature, disabled and not disabled, students and parents, literate and illiterate, and other categories of people. In addition, there are cafes inside the building making the risk of fire to be high. Also there is risk of fire due to electric failure but the risk is low. The parking near the building poses a great danger due to the flammable fuels used in motor vehicles. This increases the risk of fire outside the building. Also there are dust bins both in and out of the building which is a potential source of fire when ignited. To reduce the risk of fire the following actions are worth to be considered
Findings
The following were the findings after the assessment as far as fire risk is concerned. In Vernon building the following were either not fitted or installed in a risk avoidance manner.
The evacuation lifts were not installed with an automatic switch clearly marked at Exit level evacuation Lift.
Power switches and isolators were not neatly identifiable and labelled at the primary switchboard. The same case for optional power supply which indicated the position of all other supply.
Open places like the balconies podium and flat roofs did not have independent means of escape from fire.
The fire alarms did not have flash lights, paging or vibrating mechanism
Not all floors had a refuge in any given staircase.
Fire drills were not conducted regularly
Waste bins were not emptied on daily basis and external bins were not housed in a lockable compound outside the building
The university fire safety and coordination department were not given appropriate training.
The routes of escape and fire exits were not kept clear
Fire fighting equipments were not checked on regular basis.
Recommendations
Based on the assessment findings, the following are put forward as recommendations
The evacuation lifts should be installed with an automatic switch clearly marked at Exit level evacuation Lift.
All power switches and isolators should be neatly identified and labelling done at the primary switchboard. This should also be done to the optional power supply which indicates the position of any other supply.
On all the floors there must be at least one refuge in any given staircase to take care particularly of the disabled. This is with an exception of the ground floor.
In almost open places like the balconies, podium or flat roofs should be installed with an independent means of escaping from the Vernon building in case of fire.
Systems for alarm must include the appearance of flash lights, paging or vibrating unit to signal people with hearing problem. Paging and vibrating unit are emergency signal system which makes use of radio transmitter to ignite miniature kind of receivers usually worn by people with hearing disability. The receiver vibrates to draw attention, and a message is displayed. Such systems may be used to give safer and cost effective fire safety in the Vernon building and especially in the conference room.
Fire drills should be conducted at least once per semester and should be coordinated and monitored closely by the fire safety and coordination personnel. As such, a completed record sheet should be done every semester and should comprise of the narratives, noted problems over the semester, remedial actions considered together with the dates of completion and the one who had been assigned to carry out that duty. The records should then be kept in the manual for fire safety
The university fire safety and coordination department should be given appropriate training in relation to fire risk management in and outside the Vernon building.
Waste bins should be emptied on daily basis and all external bins should be housed in a lockable compound outside the building and emptied on weekly basis.
Any route of escape and fire exits should be kept always clear. Also the conference rooms and the residential rooms in general should be kept clean (Kipp and Murrey1996).
The Governing Body of the University of Central Lancashire should delegate the responsibility for reviewing the Fire Safety Management Plan to the Finance and Building Committee. The plan should be reviewed annually and the committee should receive regular updates from the health and safety officer on matters relating to Fire Safety. Staffs who have specific responsibilities for implementing the Fire Safety Management Plan should inform the officer of any concerns relating to fire safety (Mahoney 1992). Due to the significance attached to fire risk implementation, all staff has duty under the legislation depicted above. The fire management plan should also include even the students and visitors. Failure to include all stakeholders and staff would imply that the outcome of the assessment would not serve the intended purpose.
Methodology employed
This assessment was carried out with the assistance of senior health and safety officials of the university after prior consultation with relevant Fire Rescue Service providers and was written according to the requirement of fire safety reform (Williamson 2002). A form and a table was used to determine the people at risk and to evaluate the risks involved (see appendix 1 and 2)
Identification of significant fire hazards
During the assessment, fire instances both in and out side of the Vernon building was determined. The following were identified as the major sources of fire risk
Fires from the CafesRefectories- the two buildings have cafes and or refectories. The cafes operate twenty four hours, meaning that fire risk can take place any time.
Fires from smoking- although the university adopts a non-smoking policy, there are exceptional cases to cater for visitors. This is because the building is used by even the outside community for conferences.
Electric shock- fire from malfunctioning sockets.
The people at risk
The following groups of people were identified to be at risk
Students-since the building is busy for twenty fours hours, students keep on walking in and out of the building. This implies that at any given time there is presence of students.
Staff-both junior and senior university staff who work either full or part time.
Visitors-the building is mainly used for holding conferences. People from all over the world come in for meetings.
The disabled-in between the two buildings there is parking for disabled people .this is a clear indication that the building is frequently used by the lame. In this assessment the disable people were identified to be more vulnerable in case of fire (Robertson 1989).
Evaluation of the risk
The building is used by a variety of people, including both young and mature, disabled and not disabled, students and parents, literate and illiterate, and other categories of people. In addition, there are cafes inside the building making the risk of fire to be high. Also there is risk of fire due to electric failure but the risk is low. The parking near the building poses a great danger due to the flammable fuels used in motor vehicles. This increases the risk of fire outside the building. Also there are dust bins both in and out of the building which is a potential source of fire when ignited. To reduce the risk of fire the following actions are worth to be considered
Findings
The following were the findings after the assessment as far as fire risk is concerned. In Vernon building the following were either not fitted or installed in a risk avoidance manner.
The evacuation lifts were not installed with an automatic switch clearly marked at Exit level evacuation Lift.
Power switches and isolators were not neatly identifiable and labelled at the primary switchboard. The same case for optional power supply which indicated the position of all other supply.
Open places like the balconies podium and flat roofs did not have independent means of escape from fire.
The fire alarms did not have flash lights, paging or vibrating mechanism
Not all floors had a refuge in any given staircase.
Fire drills were not conducted regularly
Waste bins were not emptied on daily basis and external bins were not housed in a lockable compound outside the building
The university fire safety and coordination department were not given appropriate training.
The routes of escape and fire exits were not kept clear
Fire fighting equipments were not checked on regular basis.
Recommendations
Based on the assessment findings, the following are put forward as recommendations
The evacuation lifts should be installed with an automatic switch clearly marked at Exit level evacuation Lift.
All power switches and isolators should be neatly identified and labelling done at the primary switchboard. This should also be done to the optional power supply which indicates the position of any other supply.
On all the floors there must be at least one refuge in any given staircase to take care particularly of the disabled. This is with an exception of the ground floor.
In almost open places like the balconies, podium or flat roofs should be installed with an independent means of escaping from the Vernon building in case of fire.
Systems for alarm must include the appearance of flash lights, paging or vibrating unit to signal people with hearing problem. Paging and vibrating unit are emergency signal system which makes use of radio transmitter to ignite miniature kind of receivers usually worn by people with hearing disability. The receiver vibrates to draw attention, and a message is displayed. Such systems may be used to give safer and cost effective fire safety in the Vernon building and especially in the conference room.
Fire drills should be conducted at least once per semester and should be coordinated and monitored closely by the fire safety and coordination personnel. As such, a completed record sheet should be done every semester and should comprise of the narratives, noted problems over the semester, remedial actions considered together with the dates of completion and the one who had been assigned to carry out that duty. The records should then be kept in the manual for fire safety
The university fire safety and coordination department should be given appropriate training in relation to fire risk management in and outside the Vernon building.
Waste bins should be emptied on daily basis and all external bins should be housed in a lockable compound outside the building and emptied on weekly basis.
Any route of escape and fire exits should be kept always clear. Also the conference rooms and the residential rooms in general should be kept clean (Kipp and Murrey1996).
The Governing Body of the University of Central Lancashire should delegate the responsibility for reviewing the Fire Safety Management Plan to the Finance and Building Committee. The plan should be reviewed annually and the committee should receive regular updates from the health and safety officer on matters relating to Fire Safety. Staffs who have specific responsibilities for implementing the Fire Safety Management Plan should inform the officer of any concerns relating to fire safety (Mahoney 1992). Due to the significance attached to fire risk implementation, all staff has duty under the legislation depicted above. The fire management plan should also include even the students and visitors. Failure to include all stakeholders and staff would imply that the outcome of the assessment would not serve the intended purpose.
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