Sectors
Karntek offer inspections and surveys for many different types of commercial premises, from large office complexes to warehouses and factories. Many modern offices are a large, open plan room which often presents new risks due to the large fire compartments. This increases the importance of satisfactory fire doors and compartmentation, to ensure the safety of your employees and building.
Warehouses and factories present their own variety of risks. A recent Karntek client owned a warehouse full to the brim with paper, which of course is flammable. On our visit to the warehouse, we noticed external tradesmen using welding tools. The rest was nearly history. This is a common problem where tradesmen don’t understand the fire risks, or employers aren’t aware of risks. Karntek can help with this: we’ll shed some light on an employer’s blind spots to ensure the safety of their people and their building is of the highest importance.
A responsible person must be in place to ensure a Fire Risk Assessment is completed on a regular basis. This could be the building owner, or it could be someone nominated by the owner. It is up to the responsible person to either do a fire risk assessment themselves if they have experience/qualifications or they should contract an external company to do the risk assessment. This guidance also applies to Fire Door Inspections, although these should be inspected more regularly.
Frequently asked questions
Does my building need a Fire Risk Assessment?
The most likely answer is yes. If your building is a domestic dwelling and a single private dwelling with no communal areas it is not required, if unsure, review Article 6 of the RRFSO.
Can I carry out my own Fire Risk Assessment?
A Fire Risk Assessment must be completed by a “Competent Person”. This means you must have the necessary knowledge, training, skills and experience. If your Fire Risk Assessment isn’t “Suitable and Sufficient” you could be prosecuted.
Is it illegal to wedge open a fire door?
In a word, yes. If you wedge open a door regardless for whatever reason, if in the event of a fire it is judged that you put someone’s life at risk by doing this, you can face a fine or even a prison sentence. There are approved fire alarm open hold devices which can be installed, these are linked to the fire alarm and will release on alarm activation.
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