Is Your Building Fire Safety Compliant?

Hotel and Facilities Managers have a responsibility to ensure fire preventive and precautionary measures are in place in their premises and remain ‘fit for purpose’. Fire safety checks are an easy, cost-effective, and practical step towards reducing the fire risks in your building. One of the most efficient ways of carrying out fire safety checks is by doing a regular fire safety walk.

FIRE SAFETY REGULATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

The current legislation in place in Ireland for fire safety in buildings is the Fire Services Act 1981 (as amended by the Building Control Act 1990) and the Fire Services (Amendment) Act 2003. In the UK, the legislation for fire safety in buildings is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Under these acts, building owners and managers are required to ensure that their buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained to meet fire safety standards. This includes having appropriate fire safety measures in place, such as fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, and escape routes, as well as conducting regular fire safety risk assessments and drills.

WHAT IS A FIRE SAFETY WALK?

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A fire safety walk is when a member of staff walks across the premises of a business to conduct inspections and catch hazards or issues before they become a serious problem. This allows for staff and visitors to feel comfortable in their environment knowing accountability towards safety is being upheld. 

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BEST FIRE SAFETY PRACTICES 

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When carrying out a fire walk, the following steps should be checked:

• -‍ Fire exits & escape routes: All exit/fire doors must be unobstructed, fire doors must open easily and close correctly and all staff and customers on premises should know where the closest exit door is and the procedures in place that enable for a swift escape if a fire arises.‍
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• - Fire safety signs & notices: Fire Action Notices must be near the call points, unobstructed and information clearly visible. Fire exit signs need to be tested regularly to ensure that the emergency power works when there is no electricity. All fire doors and final exit doors must be clearly signed.
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• - Fire alarms: All fire alarms have to be in pristine condition and tested weekly.
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• - Fire extinguishers: They must be prevalent and easily accessible for all parts of the premises. Fire extinguishers with pressure gauges should always be in the green and all fire extinguishers must be within their annual inspection date.‍
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• - Fire safety equipment: All fire safety equipment must be well maintained and up to date with regulations. ‍
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• - Sources of ignition: Electrical components need to be switched off when they are not in use and older ones must be regularly checked to make sure they are still in safe working order. Signs of illicit smoking taking place must be checked for.

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CARRY OUT FIRE SAFETY WALKS?

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To ensure ultimate safety checks should be done daily as a fire can happen at any time. Hotels incorporate fire safety checks daily as a standard routine. Most Hotels aim to do a walk on every shift with there being a standard 3-shift pattern in a day (every 8 hours), conducting the walks normally in the am, pm and at night.

Snapfix offers an easy and time-saving solution for these checks. Putting a reminder in the schedule and allocating an educated staff member to carry out these checks daily will ensure the best chance of safety.

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With Snapfix, custom checklists can be created and scheduled ensuring your fire safety walks are being carried out on schedule and on time. Our NFC-enabled checklists allow users to easily pass, flag or fail checklist items and leave notes. Our NFC Smart tags also provide proof of location which is ideal for driving accountability.

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To learn how to create and upload a fire walk checklist on Snapfix watch our tutorial below.

If you want to learn how to schedule your daily fire walk on Snapfix watch our tutorial here.

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REPERCUSSIONS OF NOT CARRYING OUT FIRE SAFETY CHECKS

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Ignoring fire safety walks can lead to numerous problems due to fire damage that could have been prevented. In addition, if a business is caught neglecting fire safety its owners can face penalties or even prison time under most laws around the world, which is definitely not worth the hassle!

To learn more about how Snapfix can help your team with fire safety compliance, check out our Fire Safety page here.

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Booking a demo is easy, contact our team here.

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