“When was the last time our smoke alarms were tested?” This is a critical question, but how often do business leaders actually ask it? asks Michael Loszak, Head of Scot-Tech Fire and Security.
Is it weekly, as required by law? Is it monthly? Or are smoke alarms never checked and business leaders just assume they are working? If the latter is the case, this is a naive and dangerous position to take – the worst time to discover smoke alarms are no longer operational is during an actual fire.
According to UK legislation, organisations should test their fire alarms weekly and they must be inspected by a professional every six months, but in reality this rarely happens. According to recent data, only 57pc of organisations within the UK are compliant with Fire and Safety Regulations, with many organisations failing their audits due to a series of common failures.
These failures are easy to address, yet a failure to address them could have disastrous consequences for organisations. So what are the common issues organisations are overlooking within their fire and safety procedures, and how can they be addressed?
Smoke detectors
When it comes to assessing compliance, on-site fire and safety equipment is often neglected because it’s easy to take for granted or to assume it works. Take fire alarms: they work passively, and most people will only check them a few times in their lives. But in commercial environments, this must be done much more frequently.
Batteries need to be checked and any that have died must be replaced. These are simple steps, yet they are often overlooked, putting organisations and their employees at risk. A person must be assigned this task and they must clearly understand their responsibilities.
Another key issue that impacts organisations is using domestic fire and smoke alarms in commercial premises. While cheap and easy to install, these are not legally allowed in commercial premises and any organisation found using them will fail their fire and safety audits.
Locked Fire Exits
Other failings relate to fire exits and organisations not checking if they are usable and accessible. While lockdown fortunately feels like a long time ago, many organisations have not yet removed the padlocks that were secured to fire doors while employees worked remotely.
If fire exits are locked shut, they will be completely unusable, which could put employees at risk if there was a fire. Organisations should check their fire exits regularly and ensure there is nothing obstructing them from the outside or inside.
Moving Premises?
As hybrid and remote working becomes more common, many businesses have downsized, but in the rush of relocation, many businesses have not migrated their fire and safety procedures to their new premises. Do staff know the layout of the new premises? Would they know how to locate fire exits? Do they know where safety equipment like extinguishers are stored? These questions must all be answered.
Changes of premises also raise questions about liability. Who is responsible for fire safety in a building: the landlord or the leaseholder? There isn’t always a clear answer to this without prior documentation. As a business, you don’t want to be searching for answers after an event. It’s better to have responsibilities clearly documented as part of a comprehensive fire safety plan, so that post-incident response can flow smoothly and people can remain safe.
Safe and Compliant
Understanding the risks is only the first step. The organisations that consistently pass their audits and keep their people safe share a few common practices.
Firstly, organisations need to schedule a full fire safety audit, and this needs to be renewed annually. Many organisations might have performed an audit previously, but not have established a proper frequency for checks, leading to gaps in compliance and missed renewal deadlines. Consistency and routine are key here. Organisations need documentation: a fully dated audit log that contains past findings and remediation actions taken to correct any non-compliance. A written log will further help to establish consistency and prevent lapses due to turnover and other changes in the business. Logs will also help to clarify insurance policies, and past documentation can be used to check your current policies, and verify that in the event of an emergency, you’re able to make claims with certainty.
Who’s responsible for maintaining audits and logs? If you’ve not chosen one already, naming a fire safety officer will help to prevent disorganisation and lapses when responsibilities are split between multiple people. A dedicated officer will be able to focus on compliance, arrange and act on audits, and establish a clear chain of responsibility in the event of any emergencies.
Don’t wait
Fire safety due diligence may feel like a significant undertaking in the short term, but the cost of getting it wrong, financially, legally, and in human terms, is far higher.
The good news is that for most organisations, achieving compliance is entirely within reach. The gaps are well understood, the fixes are available, and the path forward is clear. The only question is whether you act before an incident forces your hand – or after.
