As the dust begins to settle following the heart-breaking tragedy at Grenfell Tower, there remain many questions to answer, and no doubt it will be months before we have all the answers we need to make the changes we must make as a country. At this time our thoughts and prayers are with all those directly affected by this catastrophe.
Aside, however, from all the political implications, social discussions and the big question of culpability, we should all take this as a wake-up call in our organisations in relation to fire safety.
Yes, it really could happen to our people. What are we doing to reduce that risk?
So, where do you start your review of your fire safety strategy? The only place to start is with your Fire Risk Assessment. Dig it out, (hopefully you’ve got one – it’s a legal requirement!) and put aside some time to read through it carefully.
Ask yourself:
1) Are there any outstanding actions which you need to complete?
2) Are you doing everything that your Fire Risk Assessment says you do?
3) Have you made any assumptions which need revisiting?
4) Have there been any changes in the building, your processes or your people which could impact your fire safety arrangements?
5) Are you keeping up with your testing and maintenance programmes? Are you maintaining records?
6) Are you up to date with staff training and fire drills?
7) Have you a sufficiently robust paper trail to prove that you are meeting your legal obligations?
8) Do you need the help of a professional to answer any of the above questions?
When you’re done, you’ll need to document your Review and draw up a new Action Plan to address any of the concerns that you have raised. It is highly likely that you will want to ask for further advice or support, so feel free to give us a call on 0330 7000 777 or drop us a line.
There’s nothing wrong with not knowing the answers; there is everything wrong with not asking for help!
Image courtesy of Natalie Oxford/Wikipedia
