Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Training records and certifi cates of training 
achievement
In some circumstances the maintenance of training 
records and the provision of training certifi cates is a 
requirement, for instance for fi re wardens or forklift truck 
operators. Where this is not the case the employer will 
need to develop records and suitable certifi cation in sup-
port of the training. The benefi ts of providing some form 
of certifi cation for training that has been received include:
➤
The organisation and the individual are able to dem-
onstrate they have set and achieved specifi c levels 
of performance
➤
The organisation is better able to demonstrate com-
petence to outside agencies, such as the fi re author-
ity and HSE or client organisations
➤
The award of a certifi cate often provides a degree of 
status and achievement (and therefore motivation) 
to the employees
➤
Management can exclude employees not in posses-
sion of certifi cation from certain activities, thereby 
enhancing operational control
➤
They allow for periodic training reviews and the 
structuring of refresher training.
Figure 4.8
Recognising training achievements
Fire safety training
Like all training the scope and depth of fi re safety train-
ing will depend upon the nature and role of the individual 
receiving the training, the nature of the fi re hazards and 
risks, the type of work involved and the nature of the 
workplace.

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Safety culture
71
Individual factors affecting the scope and nature of 
the fi re safety training they will receive include their age, 
physical capability, existing levels of competence and 
the criticality of their fi re safety role. For example, the fi re 
safety training given to a young person on work experi-
ence will differ greatly from that given to an employer 
or contractor conducting hot work in an area of high 
fi re risk.
Those individuals who are required to undertake 
specifi c roles relating to fi re safety management such 
as fi re wardens and fi re incident coordinators will require 
additional specialised training (see Chapter 10).
When considering the factors relating to the nature 
of the fi re hazards and risks, it will always be the case 
that far more extensive fi re safety training will be required 
for those fi re hazards that involve high fi re risks, e.g. the 
training required for electrical engineers on service station 
forecourts will be more than for electrical engineers 
maintaining standard offi ce equipment.
In all cases the structure of the fi re safety training 
given to individuals will need to cover as a minimum the 
following general topics:
➤
Fire hazards in the workplace, e.g. arson, faulty 
electrical equipment, hot work
➤
Risks associated with fi re, e.g. smoke inhalation, 
business disruption
➤
Key risk control measures, e.g. security, user 
checks, permit to work system
➤
The emergency procedure for the workplace, e.g. 
the sound of the fi re alarm, the location of the 
assembly point
➤
Actions that should be taken in the event of fi re, i.e. 
what to do on:
➤
Discovering a fi re
➤
Hearing the alarm.