Fire Risk Assessments Should Be Holistic

Fire risk assessments are imperative in commercial properties. Every commercial building, from offices to malls, hotels to restaurants and even public places are periodically inspected. Fire risk assessments in London are conducted by health and safety consultants. There are government initiated and executed inspections as well. Private property owners of residences or commercial properties would need to take a proactive step by hiring health and safety consultants and carrying out extensive fire risk assessments in London.

Fire risk assessments need to be holistic. They cannot focus on the obvious elements such as electrification, quality of wiring and if there is a property fire exit plan in case fire breaks out. Older properties must have wires upgraded but any property younger than two decades or so should be fine. Fire escapes and exits are anyway an integral part of the building codes. The focus hence should be on causes of fire and how they can be mitigated. For instance, appliances are among the most common causes of fire. Whether it is the radiator or boiler, heater or air conditioner, microwave or gas oven and other small or large appliances which are either powered by gas or electricity need to be inspected given the circumstances where they are installed.

All branded appliances that have been subjected to stringent checks will be labeled as safe but how and where they are used would determine if there is any threat or possibility of fire. There are best practices pertaining to every appliance and they must be endorsed fully by every property owner or occupant of a premise. Beyond the appliances as standalone installation, the inspection or fire risk assessments must take into consideration how the appliances coexist. There can be incidences wherein one appliance causes a problem from another adjacent or linked appliance and the outcome can be adverse.Fire Risk Assessments in London as carried out by health and safety consultants factor in all these possibilities. It is not always what’s inside a property that matters but also what’s outside. Outdoor installations, any specific fixtures or appliances installed near a property and the immediate surroundings are also a part of the fire risk assessments. A homeowner or even a commercial property owner may not have any control on immediate surroundings but that is why a preemptive assessment is necessary. One must refrain from investing in properties that may otherwise be safe but might be in an unsafe setting.

Rhss Ltd is a multi-disciplined Health, Safety and Fire Consultancy serving London and the South East. For further information, contact Rhss Ltd at www.rhssltd.co.uk