Risk Assessment on Accommodation Centres - Report Example

RISK ASSESSMENT ON ACCOMODATION CENTRES. STUDENT: XXXXX Abstract This report covers the five steps on the fire risk assessment and the integrated risk management plan applicable in most fire incidents. The report has cited Lancashire Fire and rescue services with the objective of assessing risk at sleeping accommodation areas. The report has analyzed and identified fire hazards with what can cause the fire. The sources of the fire being the ignition, fuel and oxygen where if the three items comes together can cause fire to occurs (London Fire Brigade, 2010).the report has found out that these kind of hazards can be controlled and reduced by applying proper control mechanisms and other fire and safety materials used to put off fire (London Fire Brigade, 2010) The report has further identified the people at risk especially those in and out of the premises and also those are asleep especially the sleeping accommodations. The report has recommended some of the systems which can help alert the sleeping group for safety incase of an emergency. The report has further evaluated the whole fire and risk assessment and come up with ways and means of escape as well as educating the people occupying such premises on how to escape and the signs of escape routes (London Fire Brigade, 2010). The report has concluded by giving how an integrated risk management plan is important for all the organizations to be proactive in fire incidents. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1………………………… Analyses and identifies the potential risk hazards. 1.0…………………………Identify fire hazards. 1.1………………………….Identify sources of ignition. 1.2………………………….Identify sources of fuel. 1.3………………………….Identify sources of oxygen. 2.0………………………….Identify people at risk. 3.0………………………….Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk. 4.0…………………………..Record significant findings. 5.0…………………………..Review. Integrated risk management plan. INTRODUCTION: Generally fire accident is always happening either through accident or through other means like arson. Once such fire occurs there is very high loses either business may be burnt down or a petrol station and sometimes even lives are also lost in such incidents. To avoid such accident and keep them at a minimum ,fire risk assessment is done in order to identify the hazards and asses how these are risks can be avoided(Armstrong M,2003). A fire and risk assessment is a step by step analysis carried out in order to identify the risk hazard materials which can cause fire and consequently the way these kinds of hazards can be avoided (London Fire Brigade, 2010). Fire can occur any time hence is important to implement a plan to cater for an emergency when it occurs, these plans help to keep people who can be at risk in the premises stay informed as well as educating the fire fighters on how to be well equipped when it comes to handling fires and other accident when they occur (Gill C, 2010). How people respond to fire and other accident is important hence the need for safety education to the public in general (Gill C, 2010). In sleeping accommodations, the people occupying such premises should be made aware of all the emergency exit incases of any fire (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). It is advised all organizations to adopt incident action plan to ensure every one works in a coordinated manner in case of an emergency occurs. (Armstrong M, 2003). This helps the people attending to any fire incident may be well organized for the actions. 1. Analyze and Identify the Potential Risk Hazards Risk assessment involves the identification of hazards and how risk are attached to such hazards (Armstrong M,2003)and consequently looking for ways on how to lower the risk of such hazards to a manageable level around the premises and the activities which are carried out in such premises which could likely cause fire to start and cause harm. According to Armstrong m, 2003, a hazard is anything that can cause harm and the risk is the chance that harm shall occur. Risk assessment checks those hazards and estimates the level at which the risk associated with them and when taking a fire risk assessment it will help to determine the probability of fire occurring at one point and also give some indicators that the premises might be in danger from fire which exposes people occupying such a premise into such danger. However, in sleeping accommodation especially where students are, extra cautions should be taken to identify fire hazards. As well as ensuring proper plans have been put in place to ensure such accidents may not occur and are protected or at least the chances of fire occurring should be minimized at a greater length. This is due to the fact that, student may decides to start the fire due to their own motive or may be an accident may occur accidentally (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). This kind of assessment should be addressed in steps in order to factor all the information needed as much as possible to help determine the possibility of reducing hazards and risk in a premises (London Fire Brigade, 2010). 1.0 Identify fire hazards It is common knowledge that fire does not just occur, there are things which makes fire to start that is, the source of ignition fuel and oxygen (London Fire Brigade, 2010) If such three items are present, proper precaution should be taken as things like smoking or any kind of naked fire can cause fire any moment(London Fire Brigade, 2010) It is also important to identify potential ignition sources and materials which can fuel fire to occur including the oxygen which aids to burn (London Fire Brigade, 2010). However ,it is important to note that oxygen is present in the air so only those other substances which needs to be kept away from each other as we have no control over oxygen on the air(Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). Fuel may include flammable gases or liquids while ignition may include hot surfaces ,electrical equipments ,smoking or naked lights ( London Fire Brigade, 2010) .The management and the entire community living in such premises should ensure the three items should be avoided coming together and this shall minimize the chances of any fire accident occurring (London Fire Brigade, 2010). 1.1 Identify Sources of Ignition The potential sources of ignition may include smoking materials like cigarettes, match sticks and lighters (London Fire Brigade, 2010).Sometimes smokers just drop half finished cigarettes carelessly with fire and this can cause fire. Others include naked fires like candles night lights gas or liquid fueled open flame equipment, electrical gas, or oil fired-heaters, boilers hot process machinery with hot surfaces, faulty or misused electrical equipment, obstruction of ventilation equipment or arson (London Fire Brigade, 2010).All this are always around the premises and proper care must be taken to prevent and protect any fire occurring. 1.2 Identify sources of fuel For something to burn is of fuel in nature (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). Risk assessment must be done to identify things that will burn easily and can cause fire to spread to another fuel source. This includes furniture, textiles laundry waste products flammable, liquids like paints, vanish, thinners and adhesive (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). Other flammable liquids includes white spirits ,cooking oil ,paper products ,plastics and rubbers ,guest possessions walls and ceiling hangings carpets( London Fire Brigade, 2010). In order to minimize such hazards from occurring materials which are flammable should be separated from ignition sources. Hazards also should be minimized by keeping the premises in order and avoiding congestion especially in areas with source of ignition like kitchen. proper layout of the construction is emphasized here with insulated core panels as well as restricting smokes to one place only to avoid scattered cigarette litters( Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). 1.3 Identify Source of Oxygen Oxygen is around us. Inside enclosed building oxygen is provided by ventilation so the air can naturally flow in the premises or it can be done through mechanical systems and air handling systems which will always exchange air to and from the premises (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006).Additional oxygen can sometimes be found in some chemicals which can provide fire with another additional oxygen and help it burn, so it is important for such chemicals to be handled with extra care to avoid an accident (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). 2. Identify people at risk The question mostly asked is supposing a fire occurs who is likely to be hurt? (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006) In our case most of the people in our scenario is the student and the school administration workers as well as passersby. The report analyses in which areas that these students are found at the same time or when are asleep or when they are eating together. These areas are supposed to be checked thoroughly incase of any hazard hanging around them. When people are together the runways becomes congested in case of an emergency like fire and when they try to run away, they may cause jam and eventually it can be very difficult for them to get out of danger (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). 3. EVALUTE, REMOVE, REDUCE AND PROTECT FROM RISK The management of the school and the way people who use such an area may contribute to risk evaluation. As long as the sleeping accommodation areas have few ignition sources and combustible materials (London Fire Brigade, 2010) are kept away then chances of fire risk occurring is minimized. Generally fire may occur accidentally or by act of commission or omission or by deliberate act by arson attack (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006).Such accidents prone factors must be addressed critically and assessment of the premises made to identify any accidents waiting to happen. The people at risk should be identified, should a fire start any where in the premises (London Fire Brigade, 2010). At the same time the way fire spreads should be analyzed for the purpose of preventing further spread. Hazards should be removed and if unable to remove then reasonable steps should be taken to reduce them (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). Also the management should ensure no substitution of events should be done. To remove ignition problem there should be proper law and regulation policy to create smoking policy where some areas are set aside for smoking only. Also proper electrical mechanical and gas equipment is installed, used maintained and protected in accordance with manufacturers instruction (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006). Ensure electrical all electric fuses and circuit breakers are correctly fitted and suitable for the use. Avoid ignition in all areas where hot work is carried out like welding or shouldering materials that may cause fire (London Fire Brigade, 2010) A further control on oxygen by ensuring all doors are closed and shutting down ventilation system that are not essential to the function of the premises as well as avoiding storage of oxidizing (Fire Risk Assessment, 2006 )materials near inflammable materials . Oxygen cylinders must be controlled and ensuring they are not leaking. Risk must be reduced to people by having adequate precautions put in place to warn people in the event of fire (Risk Assessment, 2006). and at least giving a way of escape to a safe place without being hurt or hurting others during the confusion stage. 3.1 Other measures of fire protection. All premises needs proper electrical fire detection and warning system with automatic fire detectors, sounds as well as manually fitted break-glass boxes where people can easily break in case of an emergency( Risk Assessment, 2006) . In sleeping accommodation such automatic warning systems should be fitted with a control panel and located near the entrance to the premises( London Fire Brigade, 2010) A voice alarm system is necessary because when are asleep it’s difficult to respond to accident as quickly as when they are not asleep. It is also necessary to include fire fighting equipment like fire extinguishers which are portable to assist in putting of small fire and help reduce it from spreading very quickly. These include things like the carbon dioxide for liquid and electrical fires as well as water incase of a solid material fires (London Fire Brigade, 2010) Escape routes is equally very important that any person confronted by the fires should be able to find it with ease, especially the stair case. There should be signs and notices placed in strategic places to help people identify the escape routes during fire emergencies. These signs should appear in form of a pictogram clearly indicating the direction a person should escape with incase of fire. There should be continuous check on escape routes and frequent tests on fire detectors to ensure they are well fitted and effective to handle any fire emergencies (Risk Assessment, 2006. All these must be well recorded as well as the recommendations given for whatever action which needs to be taken by the management. 4. Record significant findings Once most of the findings have been done, it is important to record and monitor the progress of the risk assessment. There should be proper control of all action to be taken in order to reduce risks (London Fire Brigade, 2010). Proper management systems on fire and safety should be implementing with proper planning and control. This must be document for future plans and for future review and if there are any changes must be recorded for reference (London Fire Brigade, 2010). 5.0 REVIEW There should be continuous check on all the risk assessment incase there is need for improvement on the recommendations or may be if there are new hazards which needs the attention of the management (Armstrong. M, 2003). Integrated Risk Management Plan According to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service plan, 2008-2010, specific action plans must be dawned to address particular requirements. This means planning framework has to include all key areas of the operations including specific action on fire reduction not only in one place but mainly takes up to the grass routes at the community level with an objective of reducing the number of emergency incidents and their consequences to a manageable level. There integrated risk management also aims at educating not only the student on how to respond to fire emergencies but also the entire public. This means that even if fire breaks out any where at least the ordinary person can be able to respond to such emergencies with some knowledge on how to handle fire (Gill C, 2010). However in wider perspective the integrated risk management regularly has to assess response to fires and other incidents. To achieve this there should be proper control of personnel with appropriate training and with good equipment to handle any incident (Gill C, 2010). This is a long term plan which is established to cater for safety in organizations in general and protect people in time of emergencies (Armstrong M, 2003). Being proactive does not only solve the accident problems which occur but helps a lot when the entire team of the personnel attends to what one is required to avoid confusion Reference: Armstrong M, 2003. Human Resource Management Practice, 9th edition. London Fire Brigade, 2010. http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/IdentifyTheFireHazards.asp,2005 Gill C, 2010, prevention, protection and intervention. http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf Lancashire Fire & Rescue service, 2008-2011. Risk Management Plan Fire Risk Assessment, 2006. Fire Risk Assessment on sleeping Accommodation. Read More