Introduction to Fire Safety Management

5.5.5 Applying additional risk control measures
Having analysed the risks taking into account any existing 
control measures, the next stage in the risk assessment 
process is to consider the effectiveness of the controls 
and additional control measures that will be required to 
reduce the risk as low as is reasonably practicable.
A wide range of risk control measures are available, 
many of which can be identifi ed through reading HM 
Government, HSE and industry guidance documentation, 
or seeking advice from specialist advisers and companies.
In assessing the suitability of controls not only 
must guidance be sought, but reference to the MHSW 
Regulations and RRFSO hierarchy of controls should be 
considered. These are detailed below:
1. Avoiding 
risks
2. Evaluating the risks which cannot be avoided
3. Combating the risks at source
4. Adapting to technical progress
5. Adapting the work to the individual, especially as 
regards the design of workplace, the choice of work 
equipment and the choice of working and produc-
tion methods, with a view, in particular, to alleviating 
monotonous work and work at a predetermined 
work rate and to reducing their effect on health
6. Replacing the dangerous by the non-dangerous or 
less dangerous
7. Developing a coherent overall prevention policy 
which covers technology, organisation of work and 
the infl uence of factors relating to the working 
envir onment
8. Giving collective protective measures priority over 
individual protective measures and
9. Giving appropriate instructions to employees.
The above principles of control are used in the MHSW 
Regulations. The same principles are used in the RRFSO 
and the Fire (Scotland) Act, which omits point 5 and 
slightly rewords the paragraphs to focus upon fi re.
Chapter 6 will detail in more depth with the range of 
risk control measures available in a practical approach, 
which while not exactly mirroring the above serves to 
provide the basis from which to consider the manage-
ment of any residual risks.
To ensure that a risk assessment can be 
demonstrated as being ‘suitable and suffi cient’, one of 
the key factors to be considered is that of prioritisation of