Why Fire Consultancy?

The consultancy approach is ideally suited for low, medium and high risk workplaces, or where there are no suitably qualified, trained or experienced fire safety personnel within your workplace. RB Health and Safety Solutions Ltd offer a comprehensive and consistent risk assessment service. Our work is fully quality assured (ISOQAR) and backed by full indemnity cover; this approach helps you achieve both workplace fire safety and full compliance with the requirement of the Fire Regulations.

Our work is fully documented and certified, and carries with it ample professional indemnity for your total peace-of-mind. Consultancy services include:

• Fire risk assessment and management
• Inspection and audit of premises
• Liaison with Local Authorities and enforcing agencies
• Advice, design and specification of alarm syste

OUR CONSULTANTS

All consultants employed by RB Health and Safety solutions Ltd are ex-senior ranking Local Authority Fire Service Officers, having spent many years within the fire safety and prevention discipline, each with an average of 25 years fire safety experience.  This experience is invaluable when making recommendations that concur with those of the enforcing Fire and Rescue Service
All consultants hold a minimum qualification of graduate member of the Institutution of Fire Engineers.
RB Health and Safety solutions Ltd will look to work with employers and employees alike to minimise the risks and ensure staff know exactly what to do in the event of a fire.

YOUR REPORT

Once a building’s fire risk assessment is complete, you are provided with an easy to understand, bespoke report. This forms the basis of that workplace’s on-going fire safety procedures and will demonstrate compliance with the requirements of the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
The easy to understand assessment generates a priority action list (significant findings) to help you get your premises safe and up to standard.

SUMMARY OF FIRE SAFETY ORDER

• All previous fire legislation has been repealed
• Fire certificates will be no longer issued.
• Each individual company will be responsible for their own fire safety.
• Employers must conduct a fire risk assessment regardless of the size of the risk. The identified responsible person would therefore take full corporate liability.
• If five or more people are employed, the risk assessment must be documented.
• Extended scope of consideration now to include property safety and the environment around the site as well as just protecting life. This means allowing a building to be sacrificed is unacceptable due to the risk to neighbouring buildings and fire fighters. Unlike the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations, the Fire Safety Order places emphasis on business continuity and containing and preventing the spread of small fires. The effectiveness of fire extinguishers is clearly recognised as a major provision in doing just this.
• Protection is explicitly extended to all occupants and not just employees. Visitors, contractors or passers-by also have to be considered in the risk assessment.
• Fire fighters are to have greater authority to gain entry to premises and remove samples after a fire.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR BUSINESS?

With building fire safety being solely risk assessment led, the government believes the removal of fire certificates will save businesses £1.7m per year. The long term saving if all businesses carry out a fire risk assessment could be around £110 million based on a reduction of workplace fires.
Overall legislation will be less burdensome and clearer, with the Local Fire and Rescue Authority enforcing the Order’s requirements.

WHERE CAN I GET FURTHER INFORMATION?

The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) have produced guidance documents to support UK business and help them understand their responsibilities. These are free to download from the CLG website, or can be purchased from HMSO for a nominal cost.