If you are a landlord or responsible for a HMO, have you checked your fire risk assessment is adequate and valid?
We specialise in fire risk assessments for HMO's and other landlord properties to ensure your compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which is a legal requirement - for more information on this piece of legislation click HERE.
According to data supplied by the world's largest independent claims management company Crawford & Company, commercial and domestic fire claims have increased significantly during lockdown with a 40% spike in activity.
We can still carry out fire risk assessments at this time, as the fire safety industry has been granted key worker status (for more information on this, click HERE.
We are operating in the safety possible way, all of our staff have full PPE including face masks, sanitiser, gloves and will maintain social distancing whilst carrying out the fire risk assessments or other services we offer. We will check if the premises we are assessing has any COVID-19 exposure before commencing work, and assuming it has not and the above measures can remain in place throughout our work on site we can then carry out the assessment.
Whilst on the subject of COVID-19, have you considered how it will affect your fire safety arrangements? See below a list of some items that you may need to change during these strange and challenging times.
1) Assembly points - where are these located, can social distancing be maintained when everyone meets there?
2) Fire doors - many premises have tried to reduce touch points, but does this now mean you have wedged your fire doors open? If so, have you considered automatic fire door retainers that release upon the fire alarm activating?
3) Have you changed your working hours to accommodate social distancing, and if so do you still have enough fire wardens to cover the new hours?
4) Do you still have the ability/capacity to assist those who require assistance with evacuation?
These are only a few brief points, and not a completely exhaustive list of issues to be considered, but hopefully enough to give you food for thought.
Feel free to contact us on 0333 444 1 390 if you need to arrange a new fire risk assessment, we are here to help!
DANFIRE
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