Fire Risk Assessment

John Revington
P RAC TIC AL AP PLICAT ION
Identifying Fire Hazards and
Managing Fire Precautions
History of Fire

Fires that have changed our lives

History of Fire
• Theatre Royal - Exeter - 1 887
• Eastwood Mills - Yorkshire - 1 956
• Hendersons - Liverpool - 1 960
• Rose & Crown - Saffron Waldron – 1 969
• Summerland – Douglas - 1 973
• Woolworths - Manchester - 1 979
• Bradford City Football Club - 1 985
• Kings Cross - London - 1 987
Theatre Royal Exeter
• No fire alarm
• No means of escape
• Doors locked
1 81
Dead
Eastwood Mills 1956
• No fire alarm
• No means of escape

8 Dead
Hendersons -1960
• Fire alarm did not work
• Delay in calling the fire brigade
• No evacuation procedures

1 1 Dead
Rose & Crown 1969
• Fire alarm did not work
• Doors left open
• No fire procedures

1 1 Dead
Sum merland – Douglas IOM
• Fire alarm not sounded
• Initial call had very little information
• Rapid fire spread
• Large numbers of people

53 Dead
W oolworths -1979
• Alarm not sounded
• Fire Brigade not called

1 1 Dead
Bradford City Football Club
• No means of escape
• Rapid Fire spread

56 Dead
Kings Cross
• Delay in raising the alarm
• No proper procedures

31
dead
W hat Next !

We must be aware of
FIR E
Legal Requirements

• Management of Health & Safety at

Work Regulations 2003
• Construction Design & Management
Regulations 2003
Fire Risk Assessment - Identify
• S ou rce s of i g n i ti on

• C om b u s ti b l e m a te ri a l s

– U s e d d u ri n g co n s tru cti on work

– F i n i s h e s , F u rn i tu re a n d fu rn i s h i n g s

– P a rts of stru ctu re a n d fi tti n g s

– Fl am m abl e l i q u i d s an d g ases

– S tru ctu ra l fe a tu re s

• P e op l e a t s i g n i fi ca n t ri s k

– S ta ff

– P e o p l e wi th d i s a b i l i ti e s

– M e m b e rs of th e p u b l i c

• Acti on s re q u i re d to re d u ce i d e n ti fi e d h a za rd s

• C on trol m e a s u re s p re s e n t
Hazards
• Maintenance of plant and
equipment
• Storage and use of flammable
materials
• Flammable liquids
• Work processes involving heat
• Hot work
• Electrical equipment
• Heating appliance
• Smoking
• Building maintenance work
• Waste
Me ans of Escape
• Travel distances
• Alternative routes
• Stairways
• Doors
• Inner rooms
• Checking and maintenance
• Lifts
• Surface finishes
 Comp artmentation
• Fire doors
• Glazing
• Sandwich panels
• Sealing around services
• Voids
• Ductwork
• External escape stairs
Fire Alarm and Detection Systems
• Types • Cal l poi n ts
– Dom esti c (sm al l – Si ti n g
workpl aces
on l y) • Testi n g

– Con ven ti on al • M ai n ten an ce

– Ad d ressabl e
• BS 5839: Part 1
– An al og u e
• Sl eepi n g ri sks
• Detecti on
– Sm oke

– H eat

– Si ti n g
Fire Fighting Equipment
• Exti n g u i sh ers
– Types

– Col ou rs

– N u m bers

– Si ti n g

– BS EN 3 (con stru cti on )

– BS 5306 Part 8 (i n stal l ati on , si ti n g

an d servi ci n g )

• H ose reel s

• Fi re bl an kets

• Au tom ati c su ppressi on

system s
E mergency Escape Lighting
• Types

– Si n g l e poi n t

– Cen tral system

– M ai n tai n ed

– N on -m ai n tai n ed

• Locati on

• Testi n g an d
M ai n ten an ce

• BS 5266: Part 1
Fire Safety Signs and Notices
• Types
– Plain
– Photoluminescent

• Standards
– BS 5499: Part 1

• Siting
Evacuation Procedures
• Proced u re on

d i scoveri n g a fi re

• Proced u re u pon

h eari n g th e fi re

al arm

• Assem bl y poi n ts

• M an ag em en t

– Fi re ward en s /

m arsh al s
StaffTraining
• Induction
• All staff
– Evacuation procedure
– Escape routes
– Extinguishers
– Machinery
– Disabled
– Hazards
• Fire Wardens
• Those working in areas of
high risk
• Fire drills
Record Keeping
• Staff training
• Fire drills
• Maintenance and
testing
– Fire alarm
– Extinguisher
– Emergency lighting
– etc
Housekeeping
• Stored materials
• Waste
– Away from sources of ignition
• Escape routes
Protection from the Threat of
Arson
• Security
• CCTV
• Illumination
• Waste
• Storage
Introduction to Fire Risk
Assessment
Definitions
• Ri s k As s e s s m e n t

– Th e q u a n ti ta ti ve e va l u a ti on s of th e l i ke l i h ood of

u n d e s i re d e ve n ts a n d th e h a rm or d a m a g e b e i n g

ca u s e d , tog e th e r wi th va l u e j u d g e m e n ts con ce rn i n g th e

s i g n i fi ca n ce of th e re s u l ts .

• Ri s k M a n a g e m e n t

– Th e i d e n ti fi ca ti on , m e a s u re m e n t a n d con trol of ri s ks th a t

th re a te n th e a s s e ts an d e a rn i n g s of a bu si n ess or oth e r

e n te rp ri s e

• Ri s k C o n trol

– Th e p ri ori ti s a ti on of ri s ks an d th e i n trod u cti on of

m e a s u re s th a t might be pu t in p l a ce to re d u ce , if n ot

p re ve n t, th e h a rm from occu rri n g .

 Definitions
• H azard

– H azard i s an yth i n g th at can cau se h arm

– Look for h azard s

– Don ’ t forg et you r own experi en ce.

• Ri sk

– Ri sk i s th e ch an ce (l arg e or sm al l ) of

h arm actu al l y bei n g d on e

– l ook for th e h azard th en assess th e ri sk.

W hat is Risk Assess ment?

• Som eth i n g we al l d o su bcon sci ou sl y

• M ay i n vol ve val u e j u d g em en ts on th e

si g n i fi can ce of th e ri sks

• Ri sk assessm en t real l y on l y pu ts on to a

form al stru ctu red basi s som eth i n g th at we

al l d o an yway.

Ri sk = f (freq u en cy, con seq u en ces)

RISK S ?
Examples fro m US Statistics

• M u rd e re d i n a n y ye a r

– 1 : 1 1 , 000

• S e ri ou s l y i n j u re d i n a ca r a cci d e n t

– 1 : 40

• D e a th ca u se d b y p a s si ve s m oki n g

– 1 : 30, 000
Risk Assessment Methods
• El em en tary m eth od (Home Office method)

• Th e ri sk val u e m atri x m eth od

• An i n d u stri al m eth od

• An al g ori th m i c m eth od

• H azard operabi l i ty stu d y (H AZOP)

• H azard an al ysi s (H AZAN )

• Fau l t tree an al ysi s

• H TM 86 - Fi re ri sk assessm en t i n h ospi tal s

• Ri sk Ran ki n g an d H azard I n d i ces

Elementary Me thod
• S te p 1 : I d e n ti fy fi re h a za rd s

- C om b u s ti b l e m a te ri a l s , S ou rce s of i g n i ti o n , Work p roce s s e s

• S te p 2 : I d e n ti fy l o ca ti on of p e op l e a t s i g n i fi ca n t ri s k

• S te p 3 : E va l u a te th e ri s ks

- Are e xi s ti n g fi re s a fe ty m e a s u re s a d e q u a te ?

- C on trol of i g n i ti on s ou rce s /s ou rce s o f fu e l

- F i re d e te cti on /wa rn i n g , M e a n s of e s ca p e , M e a n s of fi g h ti n g

fi re , M a i n te n a n ce a n d te s ti n g of fi re p re ca u ti on s

- F i re s a fe ty tra i n i n g

- Carry out any improvements needed

• S te p 4 : Re cord fi n d i n g s a n d a cti o n s ta ke n

- P re p a re a fi re m a n a g e m e n t p l a n

• S te p 5 : Ke e p ri s k a s s e s s m e n ts u n d e r re vi e w

- Re vi s e a s a n d wh e n n e ce s s a ry
Risk Value Ma trix Method

• We d e fi n e th e p rob a b i l i ty th a t a fi re

e ve n t wi l l occu r a s th e fire risk , a n d th e

h a rm th a t wou l d re s u l t from th a t e ve n t

a s th e fire hazard .

• Ri s k Va l u e = F i re H a za rd Va l u e x F i re

Ri s k Va l u e
Risk Value Ma trix Method
Classification Tables

Fi re H a za rd Fi re Ri sk
D e scri p ti on Va l u e D escri p ti on
N eg l i g i bl e 1 U n l i ke l y
Sl i g h t 2 Po ssi b l e
M od era te 3 Q u i te P o s s i b l e
S e ve r e 4 Li ke l y
Very Se ve re 5 Ve ry Li ke l y
Risk Value Ma trix

FIRE HAZARD VALUE

5 4 3 2 1
RISK CATEGORY
5 25 20 15 10 5
LOW
4 20 16 12 8 4
FIRE RISK VALUE

3 15 12 9 6 3 NORMAL

2 10 8 6 4 2
HIGH
1 5 4 3 2 1
Industrial Me thod
Gather information

Identify all hazards Re-assess

Evaluate risks and prioritise

Set suitable and attainable control obj ectives

and

Identify necessary control measures to meet these obj ectives

Revise
Monitor controls

Yes No

Record

Review

Are there any changes to the identified hazard?

No Yes
An Algorithmic Me thod
Hazard Operability Study (H A Z OP )

• P re fe rre d for u s e i n n u cl e a r, ch e m i ca l , a n d

p e troch e m i ca l i n d u s tri e s

• Ap p l i e d to a l i n e d i a g ra m of th e a p p a ra tu s , l i n e b y

line

• G u i d e word s a re u s e d to d e ci d e i f a h a za rd e xi s ts

or cou l d e xi s t i f ce rta i n e ve n ts h a p p e n e d

• Typ i ca l g u i d e word s a re : “N on e ” – e . g . n o fl ow:

wou l d th a t b e h a za rd ou s ? “M ore of” a n d “Le s s of”

• Wh e n h a za rd s h a ve b e e n i d e n ti fi e d d e ci s i on s a re

ta ke n to e l i m i n a te th e m a s fa r a s p os s i b l e
Hazard Analysis (H A Z AN)

• F ol l ows H AZO P s tu d y

1
• H a za rd s h a ve to b e a ss e s se d a n d

d e ci s i on s, ta ke n a b ou t e l i m i n a ti n g th e m

• I n s i tu a ti on s wh e re l i ttl e or n o g u i d a n ce i s

a va i l a b l e H AZAN i s a p p l i e d .

• Acci d e n t ri s k i s com p a re d wi th a ta rg e t or

cri te ri on i n ord e r to d e ci d e on a cou rse of

a cti on .
Hazard Analysis (H A Z AN)

2
• H AZAN h a s to a n swe r th re e q u e s ti on s :

– H O W O F TE N wi l l th e h a za rd occu r?

– WH AT wi l l b e th e con s e q u e n ce s to

e m p l oye e s , th e p u b l i c a n d to th e p l a n t?

– H O W d o th e s e com p a re to th e ta rg e t or

cri te ri on ?
H T M 86 - Fire risk assessment in
hospitals

• S p e ci fi c m e th od for h osp i ta l s

• B a se d on re q u i re m e n ts of H TM 8 5

• P re m i se s sp l i t i n to d i scre te u n i ts i . e .

– O u tp a ti e n ts

– P h a rm a cy

– P h ysi oth e ra p y

– I TU
H T M 86 - Fire risk assessment in
hospitals

• Th e a s se s sm e n t i s ca rri e d ou t i n 5

s ta g e s b y con s i d e ri n g th e fol l owi n g :

– S ta g e 1 D e p e n d e n cy of p a ti e n ts

– S ta g e 2 E xi s ti n g fi re h a za rd s

– S ta g e 3 E xi s ti n g fi re p re ca u ti on s

– S ta g e 4 Re cord i n g th e a s s e s s m e n t

– S ta g e 5 Wh a t, i f a n y com p e n s a ti on s a re

re q u i re d
H T M 86 - Fire risk assessment in hospitals -
Compensatory Factors

• Th e ‘ com p e n sa tory fa ctor’ m a tri x i s

com p l i ca te d a n d a l l ows for th e com p e n sa ti on

of a p oor fe a tu re on l y b y th e i d e n ti fi ca ti on of

a “h i g h sta n d a rd ” of ce rta i n oth e r

p re ca u ti on s .

• i . e . a h i g h h a za rd i d e n ti fi e d i n “F i re s sta rte d

b y p a ti e n ts” ca n on l y b e com p e n sa te d for b y

a “h i g h s ta n d a rd ” of e i th e r “ob se rva ti on ” or

“a l a rm a n d d e te cti on syste m s” .
 Possible Degree Of

86
Inadequate Feature

HTM 86
ns ator y Fact ors
Compensatory Factors Compensation
H i g h h azard room s (i . e. AFD system Total

Boi l erh ou se) Spri n kl ers Total

Al arm an d d etection Observati on Total

system Staff Total

Spri n kl ers Total

Co mpe nsator
Si n g l e d irecti on m ean s Observati on Parti al

of escape AFD system Total

Travel d i stan ce Parti al

Escape l i g h ti n g Parti al

Staffi n g l evel s Total

Smoke con trol Total

Travel d i stan ce Observati on Parti al

AFD system Total

Refu g e provi si on Parti al

Staffi n g l evel s Total

Smoke con trol Total

Stai rways H ei g h t above g rou n d Total

El em en ts of stru ctu re Spri n kl ers Total

Extern al en vel ope Compartmen tation Total

protecti on Spri n kl ers Total

Stai rways Parti al

Refu g e Parti al
H eig h t above g rou n d
Compartmen tation Parti al

Access for Fi re Bri g ad e Parti al

Heat Release Rates fro m Fires

• 1 kW = 1 bar electric fire

• 50 kW = Waste bin fire
• 1 MW = Armchair fire
• 1 0 MW = Room fire
• 1 00MW = Large industrial fire
Design Fire Growth Rates

• Dwelling = Medium
• Office = Medium
• Shop = Fast
• Hotel reception = Medium
• Hotel bedroom = Medium
• Picture gallery = Slow
• Industrial storage = Ultra fast
• Industrial plant room = Ultra fast
Risk Ranking and Hazard Indices

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Risk Ranking and Hazard Indices

• Va l u e s a re a s s i g n e d to s e l e cte d va ri a b l e s b a s e d

on s ta ti s ti ca l e vi d e n ce , p rofe s s i o n a l j u d g e m e n t

a n d p a s t e xp e ri e n ce

• Va ri a b l e s a re re p re s e n ta ti ve o f b o th p o s i ti ve a n d

n e g a ti ve fi re s a fe ty fe a tu re s

• Va l u e s a re o p e ra te d o n b y s o m e co m b i n a ti o n o f

a ri th m e ti c fu n cti o n s to a rri ve a t a s i n g l e va l u e

• Th e re s u l ti n g fi g u re i s th e n com p a re d to oth e r

s i m i l a r a s s e s s m e n ts o r to a s ta n d a rd to ra n k th e

fi re ri s k
Sum mary
• Fi re Ri sk Assessm en t i s a req u i rem en t of th e
Fi re Precau ti on s (Workpl ace) Reg u l ati on s 1 997
(am en d ed 1 999).

• Ri sk assessm en t = eval u ati on of th e l i kel i h ood

of u n d esi red even ts an d th e h arm or d am ag e
bei n g cau sed , tog eth er wi th val u e j u d g em en ts
con cern i n g th e si g n i fi can ce of th e resu l ts.

• Si m pl e process i n g en eral – vari ed tool s

avai l abl e to assi st.

• N ot ru l ed by econ om i cs, th e safety of peopl e

m u st al ways com e fi rst