Fire Safety in the Office and Workplace

Whilst it might not be on the forefront of every business or building owner’s mind, fire safety in the office and workplace is a vital consideration. It is also the responsibility for every employer, building owner and also the designated Responsible Person.

Modern offices and workplaces contain a wide range of fire risks, including electrical equipment, server rooms, kitchen facilities, storage areas, battery-powered devices and high levels of occupancy. Without appropriate fire prevention measures and emergency planning, even a small fire can result in significant disruption, financial loss and risk to life.

Businesses must comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order ensuring that suitable fire precautions are in place and regularly reviewed.

Responsibility for fire safety in the workplace usually sits with the employer or owner, known as the Responsible Person. This can, however, depend on the lease of a property and could also be the responsibility of the landlord (or in some cases, even split between the landlord and business owner). They must ensure:

•  A suitable fire risk assessment has been carried out.

• Potential emergency situations are planned and emergency procedures are clearly documented and understood.
  
  
• Maintaining fire protection systems and equipment such as fire alarms, fire extinguishers and fire doors.

• Appropriate fire safety measures are put into place.

• Staff are informed of any fire safety risks and additionally receive relevant instruction and training where appropriate.

The specifics of these points are contained within The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

The Responsible Person needs to ensure that these points are actioned, however, this doesn’t need to be done personally by that individual. We would recommend appointing a Competent Person by using the services of an external specialist, such as Surrey Fire & Safety. Not only will this save you time, but you’ll also have the assurance of knowing that you’re working with fire safety experts we have more than 30 years of experience helping businesses throughout Surrey, Berkshire, London, Hampshire and the whole of the South-East meet their fire safety obligations and providing practical solutions designed to keep your office or work place compliant, protected and prepared. 

This guide focuses on workplace fire safety requirements in England and Wales, legislation differs across other parts of the UK. There is region specific legislation across both Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Fire Risk Assessments for Offices

A fire risk assessment is not just a vital planning document for any business, but is also a legal responsibility under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005:

“The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order.”

From the 1 October 2023, all responsible persons must record their fire risk assessment regardless of the number of employees.

A successful fire risk assessment should:

·      Identify fire hazards within the workplace

·      Identify anyone at risk, including employees/staff, contractors, customers and visitors

·      Carefully consider the risks and undertake measures to remove or reduce them

·      Record the above whilst ensuring that staff are suitably informed, educated and trained on relevant fire safety risks

·      Be regularly reviewed and updated, especially if anything relevant to fire safety changes within the business

Fire Safety Enforcement and Inspections in Offices

Examples of these can be found on London Fire Brigade’s Public Notices Page, which lists actions they’ve taken against businesses and for what reason.

Fire Hazards in the Office

Fire hazards in the office can take on a range of different forms, but, some of the most common hazards include:

·      Faulty electrical equipment (ensure electrical equipment in your office is regularly PAT Tested)

·      Flammable materials being incorrectly stored, such as paper or card

·      Build-up of (flammable) dust and debris

·      Issues with communal cooking infrastructure

·      Blockages across fire exits

You may also work within a business that specialises in areas that present fire hazards surrounding chemicals, manufacturing or electronics. For example, if your office deals with electrical repair, you may face hazards surrounding the use of soldering irons and heat guns. These should be accounted for in your Fire Risk Assessment.

Safety Measures

Different safety measures will need to be put into place depending on what your workplace’s unique risks are. The first line of defence against fire should be the prevention of a fire breaking out, based on the risks you’ve assessed so far.

Some safety measures the Responsible Person should include:

·      Making sure staff have been appropriately trained

·      Putting an emergency evacuation plan and assembly point in place where appropriate

·      A suitable Fire Alarm System is installed and operational

·      Extinguishers, fire blankets, and relevant fire safety signage are installed

Fire Marshalls and Wardens

As well as the main responsible person, businesses may designate specific fire marshals (or wardens) to manage fire safety responsibilities. We recommend having different levels of fire marshal coverage based on the risk level of your business, the area size, and also number of employees. For more information, we have a guide here to help you figure out how many fire marshals your business may need.

As well as acting as business fire safety advisors – Surrey Fire and Safety also provide Fire Marshal Training Courses to certify your designated marshals and wardens. Delivered at your workplace, our courses cover all the responsibilities of a fire marshal along with how to react to specific situations within the workplace.

Equipment

Appropriate fire safety equipment is necessary for the vast majority of offices. This should cover:

Different types of fire extinguishers (planning, installation and servicing)

Appropriate fire alarm installation (plus testing and maintenance)

Appropriate fire safety signs in the workplace

Any additional fire equipment and maintenance of this

Fire door inspections & fire door maintenance – Fire doors on escape routes, stairwells and plant rooms must be maintained in compliant condition. In high-traffic office environments, closers weaken, seals wear and doors drift out of tolerance faster than in low-use settings.

Fire stopping – Fire doors on escape routes, stairwells and plant rooms must be maintained in compliant condition. In high-traffic office environments, closers weaken, seals wear, and doors drift out of tolerance faster than in low-use settings. Every unsealed penetration through a fire-rated wall, floor, or ceiling is a breach in the compartmentation strategy. In office buildings, cable management and IT infrastructure works are the primary culprit. We identify and seal every penetration using the correct materials.

Fire compartmentation surveys – Fit-outs and IT infrastructure works are the most common source of compartmentation breaches in offices. New cable routes, partition walls, and service installations create penetrations that are rarely fire stopped. A survey establishes the current compliance position and identifies what needs remediation.

Fire safety is not something to be overlooked, as failures in your fire planning could lead to catastrophic loss of both life and infrastructure. We highly recommend getting a professional fire safety business such as Surrey Fire on board to go through your fire safety planning ensure that your business meets standards that legislation requires.

Contact Surrey Fire today for a free quote, and discuss how we can help you with your business’ fire safety planning.

We hope this guide has been useful to you but if you have any additional questions, please give our friendly team a call on 01276 684473 and they’ll be happy to help.

Information about our commercial fire alarm system services can be found at the following links.

Fire Alarm Installation – Fire Alarm Servicing – Fire Alarm Testing

Alternatively, you can send us a contact request by clicking the button below.

Check out more of our office fire safety guides below:

Fire alarms for offices

What fire extinguishers does my office need?