Fire | The External Risk

The typical considerations of an effective fire risk assessment fall within your remit and property. However, there are often fire safety risks from outside the property and outside your direct control those should be considered too.

Adjacency

As part of the Fire Risk Assessments you undertake, you should consider your neighbours.  It may be that the nearest building is 50 metres away, and there is good separation. For the majority of properties, this is unlikely and where there are neighbouring properties, you need to consider the potential of fire spread from their building to yours, as well as vice versa.  This can seem a complex issue, but initially, a number of simple factors should be considered.

The materials used to construct the buildings are a key consideration.  Where both buildings are built from brick or other masonry and have no openings (windows and doors), the likelihood of fire spread between the two is low. However, in cases where the buildings are constructed of lightweight materials with unprotected openings, the likelihood of fire spread is increased. It may be the case that there is little you can do to change the risk posed from a neighbour, however physical alterations could be made to your own property to reduce that risk. Equally, in cases where a fire in the neighbouring building has been raised as a risk to your building, it will be necessary to evacuate staff in case of fire.

Staff

Staff could be considered an external factor, particularly if agency or unknown staff are used for specific duties; security personnel for example.  Appropriate background checks should be made on all staff, including those employed by third parties.  In a fairly recent case, a security guard was prosecuted for arson (on a construction site) which demolished the structure causing £5.5 million of damage.  Whilst this scenario is rare, the potential consequences of such actions can be catastrophic.

Staff from within must also be considered, particularly where an event such as a disciplinary situation has arisen.  Fire-setting by disgruntled employees is not unheard of.   

Waste Management

Unfortunately, 'petty' or minor arson is not uncommon.  Reports of people setting fire to skips, bins etc. are often received by the Police and in most cases, the fire does not spread.  However, where waste is inappropriately stored, for example, directly adjacent to a building, an opportunistic arsonist may set fire to such material with no real intent of further damage, but, due to the lack of separation between the waste material and the building, fire spread can occur resulting in significant losses.

Temporary/New Risks

A new or temporary risk could be presented by a construction site. The final design of the build may encompass fire resisting walls, however, during the interim period, when the building is actually being constructed, there will be no protection.  This should be dealt with by the construction site, however, your awareness of an increased, if temporary, risk is necessary to alert you to any measures you might be able to take in the interim period.

Identification of risks

As part of your risk assessments, it is necessary to 'stand back' and consider fire spread from and to your building.  In some instances, a break is created between buildings; however, where that space has been filled with combustible material - therefore allowing the transfer of fire from one building to another - remedial measures are simple.

Following your initial considerations of external risks, you should then monitor the situation (as with all risks).  If significant changes occur, for example on an adjacent construction site, you must then review your risk assessment and implement any necessary alterations.

If we would like to know more - or would like to arrange an appointment with one of our senior fire safety advisers - simply call Peter Gyere on 020 8668 8663.