The Five Steps of Fire Risk

Assessment
A fire risk assessment is a systematic and
critical evaluation of a premises and the
activities carried on there for the purpose
of determining the likelihood of a fire
occurring and causing harm to people in
and around the premises.
The PURPOSE of a fire risk assessment is to
determine what action you need to take to
prevent a fire from occurring in your
premises and equally to determine what
action you need to take to ensure the safety
of people in and around your premises if a
fire does occur. Therefore, the fire risk
assessment should:
1. Identify all of the fire hazards in your
premises.
2. Identify all of the people at risk.
3. Evaluate means of removing the hazards
or of reducing the risks to an acceptable
level if the hazards cannot be removed.
Carrying out a fire risk assessment is
essentially a matter of applying common
sense in consideration of the premises for
which you have responsibility and
identification of anything which could
cause harm from fire. It will allow you to
make an informed decision on whether you
have taken sufficient precautions or
whether you need to do more to minimise
the risk from fire.
If, however, you do not feel confident
enough to undertake the fire risk
assessment, for example, due to the
complexity of the premises or the activities
undertaken on them, you may wish to
commission a fire safety specialist
to assist you.
An average risk factor is calculated for each
area where an assessment is undertaken
and a risk rating is then calculated for that
area.

Once the hazards and risks in the premises

have been identified, further action is taken
to either remove the risks completely or, it
not possible, to reduce them to an
acceptable level. Without this subsequent
action, a fire risk assessment is a
meaningless exercise.
The Five Steps method of fire risk assessment can be undertaken by a
competent person with a good understanding of the fire safety principles
and practices involved.

The fire safety principle that underpins this method of fire risk assessment
is very simple (the Fire Triangle theory of fire) and the logic is even more
so (remove, reduce, separate, control).

The method can be used to divide larger workplaces into sections and to
provide a separate fire risk assessment for each section (e.g. canteen,
offices, warehouse, showroom, yard, production area, etc) or, for smaller
workplaces such as a shop or an office, to assess it as a whole.
HAZARDS VS.
RISKS ?
A hazard is something that can cause
harm and a risk is the probability that
the harm will occur and the severity of it.
Hazards can include objects in the
workplace, such as
machinery or dangerous chemicals.
Other hazards relate to the way work is
done. For instance, hazards on a
production line could include manual
handling, excessive noise and fatigue
caused by the pace of work.
The level of risk will depend on factors
such as how often the job is done, the
number of workers involved and how
serious any injuries that result could be.
 Step 1 : Identify The Hazards

This means looking for sources of heat, fuel and oxygen which together might lead to a fire.

You need to identify:

• Sources of ignition (Heat)

• Sources of fuel
• Sources of oxygen

A fire can be prevented by keeping one or more of these three elements separate from each other. At its
most basic level, fire safety is the practice of keeping sources of fuel away from sources of ignition.
Identify all sources of fuel in your premises

Fuel is any substance that can undergo combustion.

It exists in three states of matter: solids, liquids and gases.

Identify all sources of Fuel in your premises
Flammable liquids and solvents such as petrol, white spirit, methylated spirit and paraffin

Flammable chemicals

Wood

Paper and card

Plastics, rubber and foam such as polystyrene and polyurethane (e.g. the foam used in upholstered furniture)

Flammable gases such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and acetylene

Furniture, including fixtures and fittings

Textiles

Hardboard, chipboard, blockboard walls or ceilings

Synthetic ceiling or wall coverings, such as polystyrene tiles

Loose packaging materials

Waste materials, finely divided materials such as wood shavings, off-cuts, dust, paper and textiles.
Identify all sources of ignition (Heat) in your
premises
Potential sources of ignition include:
• Naked flames
• Electrical, gas or oil-fired heaters (fixed or portable);
• Hot work processes (e.g. welding, grinding, shrink-wrapping, cooking)
• Electrical installations and wiring
• Engines or boilers
• Machinery
• Faulty or misused electrical equipment
• Lighting equipment (e.g. halogen lamps)
• Hot surfaces and obstruction of equipment ventilation (e.g. office
equipment)
• Friction (e.g. from loose bearings or drive belts)
• Static electricity
• Metal impact (such as metal tools striking each other)
• Arson
Identify all sources of oxygen in your premises

Potential sources of oxygen include:·

oNatural airflow through doors, windows and other openings

oMechanical air conditioning systems and air handling systems

oOxidizing materials

oOxygen supplies from cylinder storage and piped systems(e.g.

oxygen used in welding processes or for health care purposes)
• Structural features that would constitute hazards by promoting the rapid spread of fire should also be
identified. These would include such things as ducts and flues, unstopped holes that have been cut into
fire resisting walls for the provision of services such as cables and pipe work, large areas of hardboard,
chipboard, or blockboard, uncompartmented roof spaces.
Step 2 : Identify the people at risk
You will need to identify anyone who may be affected, such as:

People working near to fire dangers;

People working alone or in isolated areas;

Maintenance staff, contractors, passers by and people present outside normal working hours such as cleaners and
security guards;

Visitors and members of the public;

Individuals and groups who may be especially at risk, e.g., young or inexperienced workers, pregnant workers, etc
 Step 3 : Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from fire
risk
The third step of fire risk assessment is to evaluate the findings of steps 1 and 2. You must assess the effects of the hazards on the people at
risk, taking any existing control measures into account. You must then decide if any further control measures are needed to eliminate the risk
or reduce it to an acceptable level.

The greatest danger to people from fire is the spread of the flames, heat and smoke through the premises. The imperative is to ensure that all
people identified to be at risk can escape quickly from the danger to a place of safety should a fire occur despite your efforts to prevent it. It is
essential therefore to ensure that a premises has adequate means of detecting fire and raising the alarm, and has adequate means of escape.
You need also to ensure that there is adequate provision of fire- fighting equipment for persons in the premises to use, without exposing
themselves to danger, to extinguish a fire in its early stages or to assist in emergency evacuation.

The focus of step 3 is therefore on removing the identified hazard and, if it cannot be removed, reducing the risk to an acceptable level. All risks
will be assessed using a Risk Value or Risk Factor (depending on the matrix used) and any risks that cannot be immediately eliminated will be
assigned a risk category of Low, Normal or High so that they can be prioritised according to the degree of risk that they present.
Risk Value Matrix
A Risk Value Matrix is an attempt at a quantitative approach to what
is essentially a qualitative process of fire risk assessment.

A hazard is something that can cause harm and a risk is the

Probability that the harm will occur and the severity of it.

• In this matrix, the probability that an unwanted event will occur is defined as the fire
risk, and the harm that would result from that event is defined as the fire hazard.
The overall risk is defined as the Risk Value and is calculated by the simple formula:

Risk Value = Fire Hazard x Fire Risk

Numerical values are assigned to the fire hazard
and the fire risk. The fire hazards are rated as being
between negligible and very severe, and a
numerical value is assigned to each rating.

Similarly, the fire risks are rated as being between

unlikely to very likely, and a numerical value is
assigned to each rating.

The size of the risk value then becomes the basis

for categorising the workplace as being of high,
normal, or low risk.
If the risk value Assuming that most
formula is applied to workplaces would
be of normal risk,
all possible with very few of low
combinations of fire risk, and slightly
hazard values and more of high risk,
fire risk values, then a the 5 x 5 matrix
(above) assigns low
set of twenty-five risk to values of
numbers is available 1-2, normal risk to
for the risk values. values of 3-15, and
This can be displayed high risk to values
of 16-25.
on a two-dimensional
grid (below) which is It should be noted that the values are relative, having no absolute signifance
called a Risk Value whatsoever, and the risk categories are arbitrary.
Matrix.
The Risk Factor Matrix is a variation of the Risk Value Matrix
and can be used as an alternative method of grading risks.
The 6 x 6
classification table
(matrix) lists the
frequency of
occurrence of an
unwanted event
and the severity of
the harm that it
would cause were
it to occur. The
scale of these two
elements of the
risk are given
numerical values
of X for frequency
and Y for harm.
A Risk Factor is then calculated for each unwanted event. The risk factor is
obtained by multiplying the applicable X by Y values in the classification table, e.g.
if X is 3 and Y is 2 then the risk factor is 6 (3x2 = 6).
Risk Factor = XY
Once a number of individual risk factors for unwanted events have been determined
for the given area of the assessment it is necessary to determine the Average Risk
Factor for that area. The average risk factor is the sum of all the individual risk
factors (Σ XY) divided by their number (n), e.g. if there are 5 risk factors in the area
with a sum of 32 then the average risk factor for the area is 6.4 (32 / 5 = 6.4).
Average Risk Factor = (Σ XY) / n

The maximum value of the risk factor will be 36 for a 6 x 6 matrix (6x6 = 36). The risk factor
value of any given unwanted event can then be expressed as a percentage of the maximum
value, e.g. a risk factor value of 1 would be 100 x 1/36 = 2.8% of the maximum and a risk
factor value of 9 would be 100 x 9/36 = 25% of the maximum.

The average risk factor is then expressed as a percentage of the maximum risk factor value
by multiplying the average by 2.8 for a 6 x 6 matrix (or by 4 for a 5 x 5 matrix). The resultant
figure is known as the Risk Rating for the area.

Risk Rating = 2.8 x Σ XY / n

For example, if our average risk factor for the area is 6.4 (32 / 5
= 6.4) then we multiply 6.4 by 2.8 to get our risk rating for the
area expressed as a percentage, i.e. 18% (using rounded
numbers).
It is then necessary to determine what ranges of values of the risk
rating would indicate that the area of assessment should be assigned
a risk category of low, normal, or high. Possible ranges are shown in
the table below:
Measures to protect people from fire include the
following categories:

[Link] detection and [Link]-fighting [Link] routes and [Link] safety

alarm systems equipment exits management systems

8. Compartmentation
6. Emergency
(e.g., fire resisting
[Link] lighting planning and 7. Staff training
walls, glazing and
evacuation procedures
doors, etc.)

10. Good
9. Signs and notices 11. Maintenance 12. Relevant legal
housekeeping requirements
Possible ways to reduce sources of fuel include:
[Link] flammable materials and substances, or reducing
them to the minimum required for the operation of the premises
[Link] materials and substances with less flammable
alternatives
[Link] flammable materials, liquids (and vapours) and gases
are handled, transported, stored and used properly
[Link] adequate separation distances between flammable
materials
[Link] highly flammable substances in fire-resisting stores
and, where necessary, keeping a minimum quantity in fire-
resisting cabinets within the premises
[Link], covering or treating large areas of flammable wall
and ceiling linings to reduce the rate of flame spread across the
surface
[Link] or repairing furniture with damaged upholstery
where the foam filling is exposed
[Link] that flammable waste materials and rubbish are not
allowed to build up and are carefully stored until properly
disposed of
[Link] action to avoid storage areas being vulnerable to
arson or vandalism
[Link] good housekeeping.
[Link] the fire resistance of the construction of the
workplace
Possible ways to reduce sources of ignition include:
1. Removing unnecessary sources of heat from the premises or replacing them with
safer alternatives
[Link] that heat producing equipment is used in accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions and is properly maintained
[Link] machinery and equipment which has been designed to minimise the risk of
fire and explosions [Link] naked flame and radiant heaters with fixed convector
heaters or a central heating system
[Link] that all electrical fuses and circuit breakers etc., are of the correct
rating and suitable for the purpose
6. Ensuring that sources of heat do not arise from faulty or overloaded electrical or
mechanical equipment
(such as overheating bearings)
[Link] ducts and flues clean
8. Where appropriate, operating a permit to work system for maintenance
workers and contractors who
carry out 'hot work' involving processes such as welding or flame cutting
[Link] a safe smoking policy in designated smoking areas and prohibiting
smoking elsewhere [Link] the prohibition of matches and lighters and other
naked flames in high fire risk areas
[Link] that all equipment that could provide a source of ignition, even when
not in use, is left in safe condition
12. Making sure that any smoulderi ng material including smokers' material, is
properly extinguished before
leaving the workplace
13. Taking precautions to avoid the risk of arson
Possible ways to reduce sources of oxygen include:
[Link] all doors, windows and other openings not required
for ventilation, particularly when the premises are not in use
[Link] down ventilation systems which are not essential
to the function of the premises [Link] storing oxidising
materials near or with any heat source or flammable
materials [Link] the use and storage of oxygen
cylinders
Step 4 : Record, plan, instruct, inform and train
Record the significant findings and actions taken to
remove/reduce the risk from fire;

Develop and implement an appropriate emergency plan;

Inform and instruct relevant persons on the actions to be taken in the event of fire;

Deliver training to employees, particularly those with specific duties, e.g. fire
marshals.
[Link] fourth step of fire risk assessment is to record your significant
findings.
[Link] record must show whether the existing control measures are
adequate or, if they are inadequate, what additional or amended control
measures you are taking to reduce the risk to an acceptable level. It is
not necessary to record findings that are trivial, but all significant
findings should be recorded with the risks graded as High, Medium or
Low. Clearly, the higher risks should be prioritized.
[Link] emergency plan should be based on the outcome of your fire risk
assessment. You need an emergency plan for dealing with any fire
situation to ensure that the people in your premises know what to do if
there is a fire and that the premises can be safely evacuated. In small
offices and shops the emergency plan may be no more than a fire
action notice. For more complex premises, a location plan showing fire
exits, escape routes, fire-fighting equipment, call points, fireman's
switch, etc., could be used.
[Link] fire safety information and instruction that you give to persons at
risk in your premises should be based on your emergency plan, which
is in turn based on your fire risk assessment. Records should also
detail any special duties or responsibilities assigned to staff in carrying
out the plan along with details of instruction and training provided to
enable them to safety and efficiently carry out those duties.
Step 5 : The fire risk assessment must be
reviewed

At regular intervals;

Whenever it is no longer valid, e.g., after a significant incident or "near

miss";

If there has been a significant change in the workplace, e.g., changes to

plant, equipment, processes, substances used, personnel, etc.
Fire risk assessment is a continuous process which requires that existing
control measures should be monitored and audited to make sure they are
still working effectively.

Changes may occur in the premises which have an effect on your fire
risks and precautions such as alterations to the premises, a fire,
purchase of new equipment. If there is a significant change, you will need
to review your assessment in the light of the new risk or hazard.

If a fire or ‘near miss occurs, then your existing assessment may be out of
date or inadequate and you should reassess. It is a good idea to identify
the cause of any incident and then review your fire risk assessment
considering this.

This doesn't mean that you must undertake the renew assessment every
time a change occurs, but it does mean that the change must be
assessed. It is also important to review and revise your assessment
regularly.