Maintaining effective fire safety arrangements is one of the most important risk controls your organisation can implement. If a fire were to occur at work, it could have devastating effects – people can lose their lives.
Your organisation may never recover. Fast and effective action by staff members can help protect lives and reduce property damage. A suitable fire safety course can help employees develop the knowledge they need to act appropriately if a fire occurs.
Fire safety training should help staff understand what to do if a fire breaks out and develop valuable fire safety awareness skills. A suitable course can help participants recognise fire risks and understand how they should be controlled or reduced.
Additionally, employers and other responsible persons have a legal duty to provide fire safety training for employees. In this article, we will provide you with a quick guide on what should be included in a fire safety course.
In England and Wales, the responsibilities for workplace fire safety are primarily set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO).
Under the FSO, the ‘responsible person’ is the person who has control of the premises, which may include the employer, owner, landlord, occupier or another person with control over fire safety arrangements.
The responsible person must provide employees with appropriate fire safety information, instruction and training. They must also carry out a suitable fire risk assessment, keep it up to date, develop fire safety procedures, and keep staff informed of all such risks and procedures.
The FSO also requires the responsible person to appoint one or more competent persons to help implement preventive and protective measures. However, appointing competent people does not remove the responsible person’s legal duties.
Failure to comply with fire safety duties can result in enforcement action, fines or, in serious cases, imprisonment.
If you are an employer, you should make sure your employees undertake a fire safety course.
This can support compliance with your duties under the FSO where those duties apply and can help you and your team reduce the likelihood of fires starting in the first place. In the event that a fire does occur, skills gained from a fire safety course can help save lives.
There are three fundamental fire safety responsibilities that everyone needs to know and that can be covered in a fire safety course:
We all need to keep our eyes open to identify fire hazards and take action in order to keep the workplace safe. Prevention tips include keeping workplace areas clear of combustible waste and ensuring flammable liquids are stored in line with the manufacturer’s instructions and relevant safety data sheet.
A fire safety course should give staff the knowledge to follow and support safe evacuation arrangements in the event of a fire, including assisting visitors and members of the public who aren’t familiar with the evacuation arrangements in your organisation.
Where workplace procedures allow, you might be given training on how to tackle a small fire, but only if it is safe to do so and you are not putting yourself or others at risk.
The extent of the information that a fire safety course covers depends on the nature of the work environment. Employees who work in high-risk workplaces, such as commercial kitchens or foundries will require more in-depth training than office workers.
Generally, there are four key areas that should be addressed in a fire safety course:
- Fire prevention and fire safety rules and regulations
- Actions that should be taken in the event of a fire
- How to use firefighting equipment, where this forms part of workplace procedures, and how to report defects or issues
- How to report incidents and conduct fire drills
We will now briefly look at each of these elements in more detail.
A fire safety course should help participants understand how to recognise fire hazards and how risks can be avoided, controlled or reduced. Basic fire prevention techniques should be addressed, as well as the importance of good housekeeping practices in the workplace.
Trainees should understand the purpose of fire risk assessments and their role in following procedures and reporting fire safety issues. For instance, an overview of general fire safety rules in the workplace should be provided that deals with issues such as the company’s smoking policy. The course should also explain the purpose of the fire emergency plan and staff responsibilities under it.
Trainees should learn the correct steps to take if they discover a fire, and what to do if the fire alarm goes off. All fire exits, places of refuge and evacuation routes should be thoroughly detailed. Duties and roles in the event of a fire should be outlined. These include who is responsible for alerting the authorities and how to raise the alarm if a fire is discovered.
The course should outline evacuation procedures, including how to support visitors, members of the public and people who may need assistance during evacuation.
Trainees should know where equipment is located, how to use it if this forms part of workplace procedures, and how to report defects or concerns. The training should cover the use of fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Larger workplaces may require specific staff to receive additional training.
Instruction should explain where fire doors are located, why they must not be wedged open and how to report damage, obstruction or defects.
It is crucial that staff learn how to report any fire incidents, including any ‘near misses’, where a fire could have broken out but did not. Training should cover how to raise the alarm and what to do if a fire alarm sounds should be covered in detail.
Fire drills help staff practise evacuation procedures and check whether arrangements work as intended. They help staff understand what to do and where to go in an emergency. They are also an excellent opportunity for everyone to practise and check that the fire evacuation procedure works.
During fire drills, nominated fire wardens will assist staff in following the prescribed fire evacuation system. Fire wardens must also look out for any issues that may need to be reported and addressed, such as alterations to the premises or new machinery that affects how the premises are evacuated.
Where emergency shutdown procedures are part of the fire plan, trained and authorised staff should follow them only if it is safe to do so and it does not delay evacuation.
Fire safety training should be included in all induction training for new staff.
Additionally, refresher training should be repeated periodically, with the frequency informed by the fire risk assessment, workplace risk level, staff turnover and any changes to premises or work activities.
This helps employees keep their fire safety knowledge current and improves the likelihood that they will respond appropriately in an emergency.
Changes to the workplace environment or any changes made to systems of work could also be reasons to update and refresh fire safety training. Any business that has a high turnover of staff, is responsible for vulnerable people or is in a high-risk environment should provide staff with regular fire safety training.
Providing appropriate, regular fire safety training helps reduce fire risk and supports safer emergency response. Employers and other responsible persons in England and Wales must provide appropriate fire safety information, instruction and training for employees.
Fire safety training delivered by a reputable provider can support compliance with your legal obligations and help staff understand how to keep the workplace safer.
You can find a range of approved fire safety courses on the Human Focus website. Courses such as Fire Risk Assessment Training and Fire Extinguisher Training can help participants understand fire risks and the safe use of fire equipment within workplace procedures.
