What is the value in demonstrating your competency when it comes to installing fire-related systems? The team at BAFE offers its thoughts.
Current fire safety legislation across the UK requires property managers of all non-residential premises to maintain adequate fire protection at all times. It is their responsibility to ensure that there is an adequate, up-to-date fire risk assessment and that all aspects of the requirements are carried out competently. This includes works on emergency lighting and fire detection and alarm systems. Legislation states for fire-fighting and fire detection:
“The Responsible Person must, where necessary – nominate competent persons to implement those measures and ensure that the number of such persons, their training and the equipment available to them are adequate, taking into account the size of, and the specific hazards involved in, the premises concerned.”
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (Part 2, Article 13.3.b)
As electrical service organisations grow they begin to offer systems including security and fire protection that require additional expertise to confidently provide a compliant system. How do you assure your customers of your competence to provide these services? The answer is third party certification.
“Third-party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective means of providing the fullest possible assurances, offering a level of quality, reliability and safety that non-certificated products may lack.”
GOV.UK Fire Safety in the Workplace Guidance documents (Part 2, Section 8)
To demonstrate that the Responsible Person (or equivalent role in Scotland or Northern Ireland) has met their legal obligations, many public authorities and commercial organisations now insist that their fire protection services are carried out by a company that has been Third Party Certificated for these specific services.
Fire detection & alarm systems
An appropriate fire detection and alarm system is vital to ensure people are alerted to fire in the building as soon as possible. This allows them to either tackle the fire with equipment provided if safe to do so or to evacuate the building in an efficient, safe manner.
Here is where third party certification really can shine, displaying independent evidence that demonstrates your organisation can assist the responsible person meet their fire safety obligations. It is then your role to competently design, install, commission and/or maintain a system that will be compliant for the building.
Maintenance
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states: “Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises under this Order … are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair.”
Part 2, Article 17
As electrical service providers offering fire protection systems, maintenance should be carried out on installed systems to ensure they’re still in good working order and haven’t been tampered with. Third party certificated organisations will have quality management systems in place to acknowledge when systems will require maintenance checks and that the end user is aware of this and their responsibilities under UK fire legislation.
There is still a huge underappreciation for all fire systems and provisions in place, however vital they may be, but systems installed by competent providers will ensure they’ll work efficiently when unexpected fire strikes.
For more information about BAFE and the licensed certification bodies that deliver BAFE competency scheme certification visit: www.bafe.org.uk