6. Record Keeping

Here we go again, on and on about the importance of record-keeping.  You will read this again and again throughout this guide, but we make no apology for this! If you cannot prove what a wonderful health and safety system you have in place, all your efforts could be in vain. It is vital that you can provide evidence of all your health and safety checks, training, inspections, maintenance and other actions because you do not want to end up in a “he said, she said” situation (as in “he said he understood the training”, or “she said that she had read all the risk assessments").

Strong fire safety measures will save lives and prevent injuries. If a fire does occur, there will be an investigation and your insurance company will want to know how they can reduce any pay out. So make sure you have all your fire safety records up to date and available for inspection! A basic Fire Safety Logbook is invaluable for keeping these records.

If you prefer, you can draw up your own checklists/spreadsheets according to the requirements of your premises.  Be aware that anyone can draw up and complete a checklist, so you must make yours a system that, if challenged, can be defended.  Dates and signatures are always the best as they clearly show who has carried out the task and can therefore take responsibility for it. 

IN HOUSE CHECKS

Daily checks

• Walk the exit routes to make sure they are unobstructed and good housekeeping is being practised.
• Check the fire panel for faults or error messages.

Weekly checks

• The fire alarm/detection system must be checked weekly.  If you have manual call points, test a different one each week, in rotation, so that eventually all call points are used.  The sounders must operate for a period of not less than 10 seconds.
• Smoke alarms must be tested weekly to ensure they are in working order and that the batteries (if applicable) are working.
• Dry/wet risers must be checked weekly to make sure they are free from rubbish and can be easily accessed.
• Fire doors and escape routes are already checked daily, but a record sheet has to be signed or initialled as proof that the checks have been carried out.  In some instances, there isn’t enough room on a record sheet to sign for daily checks.  If this is the case, make sure you sign at least weekly to show that you are carrying out these vitally important checks.
• Fire extinguishers must be checked out each week as follows:
  • The extinguishers are correctly positioned and have not been removed
  • The extinguishers have suffered no external damage
  • The pressure gauge indicator has not dropped below the determined limits
  • The pin has not been removed from the trigger mechanism
  • The extinguisher service label is not out of date
  • The extinguishers are not obstructed.

Monthly checks

• Emergency lighting is designed to come on if there is a power cut or other interruption to the electrical supply.  It is designed to illuminate escape routes so that occupants of a building can easily find their way out in case of an emergency. 
• Emergency lights have a “luminaire”, usually red or green, which when lit up indicates that the light is working properly.  You should check every light to make sure the luminaire is on
• If you have other fire protection and/or prevention measures in your premises such as automatic opening vents, sprinklers etc, ask the company that services these what checks you should be conducting in between their servicing and inspection visits.  Add these checks to your spreadsheet or checklist.

EXTERNAL CHECKS

Annual and 6-monthly checks

Most annual checks on fire safety and fire protection equipment are carried out by the manufacturers or by suitably qualified people.  However, it is your responsibility to ensure these checks take place and that any findings are acted upon.

Such checks include:

• Fixed heating installations
• Lightning protection
• Sprinkler system (every 6 months)
• Hoses
• Wet and dry risers
• Fire alarm detection/warning systems
• Automatic fire suppression systems (every 6 months)
• Emergency lighting (every 6 months)
• Fire extinguishers
• PAT (Portable Appliance Testing)
• Smoke and automatic ventilation system
• Gas boilers

PLEASE NOTE: When emergency lighting systems are fully energised, it can take some time for them to be fully recharged.  Obviously, during the recharging period, the lights will not function correctly should a fire occur.  It is therefore recommended that they are partially energised early in the day twice a year to avoid such a situation occurring.

5 YEAR CHECKS

All electrical installations should be inspected and tested at least every 5 years.  This is to ensure that such systems are in a satisfactory condition for continued use.  The inspections and tests must only be undertaken by appropriately qualified electricians.

Once the inspections and tests have been completed, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) is issued, and its findings must be acted upon.  If the condition of the installation is deemed “unsatisfactory”, the recommended actions must be carried out.  These are detailed on the report along with the length of time you have to carry them out.

If the inspections and tests find the installation to be in a satisfactory condition, an Electrical Installation Condition Report is issued together with a label which should be attached to the electrical board stating that the inspection was satisfactory and the date of the inspection.

There is no substitute for regular checks conducted by a person/persons who are familiar with the building and can quickly identify problems or issues and ensure that they are dealt with quickly.  If you are ever unsure about anything, speak to your Manager.  It really is better to be safe than sorry.

Health and Safety Myth

Homeless sleepers present threat to fire safety

A university has covered hot air vents with anti-homeless cages, citing health and safety reasons.

Whilst there may be some small health risks e.g. from carbon monoxide exposure in the exhaust gases from the boiler vents, the main concerns appear to relate to possible fires near the vents and the potential for blockages of the vents to shut down boilers which are critical to ongoing research work.

Getting the right balance between these issues for the university and being sensitive to the needs of others is challenging, and the real reasons for covering the vents were not fully explained initially.  As with many myth buster cases, clear and open communications from the outset can help explain the real reasons behind decisions and avoid the appearance of simply quoting 'health and safety' as a convenient catch-all excuse.