In March this year, Indepth Hygiene carried out a Fire Safety awareness survey, to identify and understand some of the common misconceptions Facilities Management (FM’s) companies have about the Fire Safety Order. The survey aimed at outsourced Facilities and Building Managers; investigated whether the group fully understand their role and responsibilities under the law, for fire safety matters.
The survey has revealed some interesting results, which provide some real insight into what this sector really knows about the Fire Safety Order. It was an encouraging start to see that 90% of respondents were aware of the primary compliance requirements of the regulation, which outlines that a responsible person must be appointed to carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement and maintain a fire management plan. It was also reassuring to note that 54.5% of FM’s understand that as an appointed responsible person, they could be liable for criminal prosecution if death or injury is caused by a fire from an extract duct.
However, this is not reflected in results that indicate 75% of FM’s don’t realise that a fire risk assessment should be carried out more than once a year. In addition, more than 30% of FM’s do not realise that the properties they are responsible for are subject to a fire authority safety inspection.
The survey also addressed concerns regarding fire safety within a catering environment. The results show that only 66.7% of FM’s include grease extract system in their risk assessment, compared to 33.3% who do not. The latter is a result of 40% of FM’s believing that the grease extract system is the responsibility of the caterers as the equipment is part of the kitchen.
It is important that fire safety within the kitchen is a top priority held by both the catering team and FM’s. Fire and rescue authorities have recently gone on record, stating that buildings with catering facilities with grease extract systems pose the greatest risk to the safety of the buildings occupants.
Ultimately the fire safety order has been put in place to minimise the risk of workplace fires and the potential dangers to occupants. We hope that our investigation into fire safety has addressed some industry concerns and the four year old Fire Safety Legislation.
For more information about ventilation system services, specialist ventilation cleaning services, General Ventilation System Cleaning, Indoor Air Quality Monitoring, Grease Ventilation Cleaning, Local Exhaust Ventilation System and Expert Witness Service, visit our main site www.indepthhygiene.co.uk.
