New guide on choosing fire risk assessors
The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council has published new guidance on selecting a competent fire risk assessor.
Aimed at employers and other ‘duty holders’ under UK fire legislation, the guide sets out the steps that should be taken if a specialist fire risk assessor is required to undertake a fire risk assessment.
While the guide says that duty holders may themselves be able to carry out a fire risk assessment in small or low risk premises, if a specialist is needed duty holders should make ‘reasonable checks’ to ensure that the specialist is competent. This includes checking that those providing the service have independent registration with, or certification from, a professional or certification body and that they meet the competency criteria established by the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council.
The guide goes on to list some steps to help verify the competence and suitability of a prospective fire risk assessor and highlights the importance of adequate management systems being in place in any company for whom the fire risk assessor works, even if the fire risk assessor is self-employed.
‘The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council recommends the use of fire risk assessment companies, including sole traders, which are third party certificated to appropriate schemes operated by certification bodies which have been UKAS accredited to certificate against such schemes,’ the guide says.
It gives an overview of the different types of certification and professional registration schemes, and provides a matrix of schemes that are currently available.
Colin Todd, managing director of fire safety consultants CS Todd & Associates and a member of the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council told FRM:
‘This is excellent news for our profession. While government policy remains that there is unlikely ever to be a legal requirement for duty holders to use the services of registered or certificated persons to carry out their fire risk assessments, the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council has led the way in signposting duty holders to sources of competent persons and companies.
‘This is consistent with government advice on third party certification which, in effect, states that the use of companies that are third party certificated by a UKAS-accredited certification body for their fire protection products and services provides reassurance to duty holders and may constitute a defence of due diligence, in the event that fire precautions are found to be deficient.’
To download the guide click here
From FRM Journal.
While the guide says that duty holders may themselves be able to carry out a fire risk assessment in small or low risk premises, if a specialist is needed duty holders should make ‘reasonable checks’ to ensure that the specialist is competent. This includes checking that those providing the service have independent registration with, or certification from, a professional or certification body and that they meet the competency criteria established by the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council.
The guide goes on to list some steps to help verify the competence and suitability of a prospective fire risk assessor and highlights the importance of adequate management systems being in place in any company for whom the fire risk assessor works, even if the fire risk assessor is self-employed.
‘The Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council recommends the use of fire risk assessment companies, including sole traders, which are third party certificated to appropriate schemes operated by certification bodies which have been UKAS accredited to certificate against such schemes,’ the guide says.
It gives an overview of the different types of certification and professional registration schemes, and provides a matrix of schemes that are currently available.
Colin Todd, managing director of fire safety consultants CS Todd & Associates and a member of the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council told FRM:
‘This is excellent news for our profession. While government policy remains that there is unlikely ever to be a legal requirement for duty holders to use the services of registered or certificated persons to carry out their fire risk assessments, the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council has led the way in signposting duty holders to sources of competent persons and companies.
‘This is consistent with government advice on third party certification which, in effect, states that the use of companies that are third party certificated by a UKAS-accredited certification body for their fire protection products and services provides reassurance to duty holders and may constitute a defence of due diligence, in the event that fire precautions are found to be deficient.’
To download the guide click here
From FRM Journal.
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