Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
86
➤
Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) 
Regulations 1992*
➤
Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1998
➤
Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999
➤
Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres 
Regulations 2002
➤
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 
Regulations 2002
➤
Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005
➤
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
*As amended by the Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 
2002.
5.4
Competency to conduct risk 
assessments
Employers and responsible persons need to determine 
who should be part of the risk assessment team. A team 
approach is often the most effective way to ensure that 
all the appropriate risks have been identifi ed, this is 
because:
Perception
– individuals’ perception of risk will be 
different. Depending upon age, experience, attitude, 
knowledge of the area, etc., one person may have a 
completely different view of what constitutes a tolera-
ble (acceptable) or intolerable (unacceptable) risk than 
another person. Some people are happy to accept risks 
which another person would not tolerate, and so a differ-
ent assessment of risk in the same area would be made 
by different people. To reduce this element of subjectivity 
inherent in any risk assessment, it is recommended that 
the team approach is adopted and the majority decision 
is accepted in areas where disagreements occur.
Limits of knowledge
– one person does not have 
the overall knowledge required of each process, person, 
activity, machine, area, etc., to be able to adequately 
identify suffi cient hazards. More than one pair of eyes is 
necessary to ensure that nothing is missed.
Familiarity
– a person carrying out a risk assess-
ment in their own area is likely to miss a number of the 
present hazards due to familiarity or complacency. They 
may also be likely to accept certain risks as tolerable 
either because that it is the way they have always been 
or because they know they will be the person responsi-
ble for implementing any necessary controls.
Teams
– a team approach may be used to involve 
the people who actually carry out the task or work in the 
area and thereby gain their input into any likely hazards 
that could be identifi ed together with any current risk 
control measures. If the workforce is able to suggest 
control measures which are later implemented, this not 
only makes the controls more likely to be complied with 
but also has positive effects on the whole organisation’s 
safety culture.
An effective risk assessment team could therefore 
involve any or all of the following:
➤
Health and safety/fi re safety advisers 
➤
Department 
managers
➤
Supervisors
➤
Workforce
➤
Competent risk assessors