Fire Risk Assessments for Schools
Here at Lanahan Risk Management Services, we aim to clarify the fire risk assessment process, helping you to conduct them more effectively and feel confident knowing you have done everything to protect your staff and students.
Fire Risk Assessment Services
Fire risk assessment is not only crucial for ensuring the safety of your employees, but it is also a legal requirement. If you are responsible for a building, it is your duty to identify fire risk and hazards in your premises and take appropriate action.
Fire risk assessment isn’t just about box ticking; it's about making sure everyone is safe and feels comfortable working in the property.
How fire risk assessments for schools work
A fire risk assessment is an in-depth, organised evaluation of a school, nursery, college or university to determine if there are any fire hazards that could cause harm.
Fire risk assessments are also used to assess the measures and precautions that are currently in place, estimate the levels of risk and how they can be minimised.
Legislation around school fire safety in the UK
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) states that schools in the UK must ensure there are comprehensive procedures in place to reduce the risk of a fire occurring.
All schools are required to comply with stringent regulations, including maintaining fire safety equipment and implementing fire risk assessments to have confidence every precaution has been taken to protect life and property.
The type of premises covered by the term ‘school’ includes:
Schools are required to welcome fire inspections from the local authority who will visit the property and inspect the fire risk assessment. If the school is considered unsafe or breaching the regulations, then it may be issued with a fine, notice or penalty depending on the severity of the violation.
How often should a school have a fire risk assessment?
Schools are legally required to conduct a fire risk assessment every year to help mitigate the risks of a fire starting.
External assessments should also be made every 3 years or sooner if significant changes have been made to the school premises. This is to ensure every fire precaution remains up-to-date and effective.
Who is responsible for conducting a school fire risk assessment?
The responsibility for conducting a school fire risk assessment typically falls upon the designated ‘responsible person’. This is usually the headteacher, someone from the management team or a designated third party. We can take this stress away from you by being your designated third party, ensuring complete safety and compliance with fire risk.
The responsible person has a legal obligation to ensure the safety of everyone on the school premises, including all staff, students and visitors.
School fire risk assessments by Lanahan Risk Management Services
With Lanahan Risk Management Services, you can have peace of mind knowing your staff, students and premises are safe thanks to our fire risk assessment services.
With our expert guidance, you can have confidence that your school is protected, compliant with fire safety legislation and that you also meet Ofsted fire safety requirements too.
We can help to simplify the fire risk assessment process by explaining fire safety regulations in easy-to-understand ways, while also ensuring you are fully compliant and your building is safe.
What happens after a school fire risk assessment?
After a school fire risk assessment has been conducted, there will be a written record of everything that has been discovered during the risk assessment. This goes into a fire risk assessment report.
In the report, there will be specific actions and guidance that should be taken in order to prevent fires from starting. It will also include details about fire safety training to ensure all members of staff feel confident in what they need to do should an accident occur.
You will need to consistently review and update your fire risk assessment once a year, especially if there have been significant changes to your school.
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