What to consider when selecting the right fire risk assessor for your hotel!
The Fire Safety Order 2005 states that “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 the Order”.
As the responsible person, it is you who holds the responsibility for the adequacy of your company’s Fire Risk Assessment by law, rather than the assessor themselves.
It is therefore crucial that you ensure that the person undertaking that fire risk assessment is competent.
That’s quite a task. Here is our list of simple checks you can complete to ensure you have appointed the right company / person:
5 simple checks before you select your Fire Risk Assessor:
- Ask for references – any competent and experienced assessor will be able to provide references. Speak to their existing customers to find out how they work and the standard of the risk assessment they provide.
- Check their accreditations – A company’s accreditation is one of your independent and unbiased ways of knowing a company has the skills to meet your expectations. Government bodies, insurance companies and fire officers highly recommend only using accredited companies for the services they offer. BAFE have a list of accredited companies under their SP205 scheme.
- Review previous assessments completed – to ensure that you will receive a report that ticks all your boxes – don’t be afraid to ask your risk assessor for an example report. This will ensure that you know exactly what you will and won’t receive from your report.
- Check what after sale support they provide – having a fire risk assessment completed is step 1 of the process. Knowing what to do after and ensuring you have a plan is place to rectify shortfalls and perform routine checks is critical in remaining compliant to your fire risk assessment report. Check whether your risk assessor provides support in action planning and action management after the report has been completed – if they don’t then you need to consider what additional resource and planning you may need in house.
- Ask whether they provide your annual review – you must review your fire risk assessment every 12 months or if there are structural changes in your hotel. As a hotel manager/ owner you already have a lot to remember, so ask whether your risk assessor will send you a reminder when your review is due to take this hassle away.
We hope you have found this blog useful. If you would like to discuss your fire risk assessment requirements within your hotel or how we can assist further please contact us at sales@sssystems.co.uk or call 03300 417 170.
