Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Engineering controls
– the use of a guard or an 
interlocking system is an effective engineering control 
for preventing access to dangerous moving parts on 
machinery. Engineering controls are widely used in 
relation to fi re safety and risk management solutions, for 
example smoke extract systems manage smoke levels 
to allow greater time to escape from large buildings 
and premises such as shopping centres. Sprinkler and 
other types of fi xed fi re fi ghting installations are installed 
to manage and suppress a fi re. Detection and alarm 
systems are engineering controls that provide early 
warning and a communications system in the event of a 
fi re (Chapter 9).
Safe systems of work (SSOW)
– these are formal 
written procedures that describe how a process or 
activity is to be undertaken. The HSWA requires the 
production of SSOWs and that all employees know them. 
There is a wide range of terminology used across industry 
to describe an SSOW. In the construction industry, for 
example, the term ‘method statement’ is used, in many 
production-based organisations the SSOWs are referred 
to as safe operating or standard operating procedures. 
Regardless of the terminology used and the way they are 
recorded, SSOWs tend to include very similar items, such 
as a description of the work, its sequence, the risks and 
controls, etc.; further details on SSOWs are discussed 
later in this chapter.
6.3.6 Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Personal protective equipment should only be issued as 
a last resort, where risks cannot be controlled by more 
positive means, i.e. with controls further up the hierarchy. 
Where it is issued the employer is not allowed to make 
any charge for its provision. The equipment must be read-
ily available and employees must have clear information 
on how to obtain it, use it, maintain it and store it. In order 
to ensure the proper level of protection and comfort the 
PPE must be available in a range of sizes to suit the entire 
workforce. PPE must conform to the relevant standards 
and carry the CE mark.
Any PPE supplied must be suitable for the operating 
conditions and it must protect against the specifi c risk 
present. This will require the employer or responsible 
person to carry out an assessment of the precise need 
for protection and specify PPE which will meet those 

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