Need a Fire Risk Assessment in Cornwall? Choosing a Competent Local Fire Risk Assessor
If you own, manage or are responsible for a business, school, holiday accommodation or other non-domestic premises in Cornwall, fire safety is one of the responsibilities you need to get right.
For most non-domestic premises, this includes ensuring that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out and kept under review.
Cornwall Fire Risk Assessments by JCH Safety provides professional fire risk assessments throughout Cornwall, helping businesses and organisations understand their fire risks, meet their responsibilities and, most importantly, keep people safe.
We work across Truro, Falmouth, Newquay, St Austell, Bodmin, Wadebridge, Padstow, Camborne, Redruth, Hayle, St Ives, Penzance, Helston, Liskeard and Launceston, as well as the county’s many smaller towns, villages and rural communities.
Choosing a Fire Risk Assessor in Cornwall
A fire risk assessment shouldn't simply be about finding somebody who can produce a report at the lowest price.
Fire risk assessment is a competency-based discipline. An assessor needs sufficient knowledge, training and experience to identify significant fire hazards, understand who may be at risk and determine whether the precautions within a building are appropriate.
This becomes particularly important where premises are larger, unusual, occupied by vulnerable people or weren't originally designed for their current use.
Cornwall Fire Risk Assessments is part of JCH Safety Ltd, an established health and safety consultancy providing professional fire safety and workplace safety services.
Our fire risk assessments are completed by a highly qualified and experienced assessor whose professional credentials include:
Registered Fire Risk Assessor with the National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR)
Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner
Associate of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE)
Specialist Member of IIRSM
CFPA Europe Diploma in Fire Prevention
More than 20 years' experience in health, safety and fire risk management
This combination of specialist fire safety knowledge and wider health and safety experience is particularly useful when assessing complex workplaces where fire safety cannot always be considered in isolation.
Fire Risk Assessments for Cornwall Businesses
Cornwall has a particularly diverse range of commercial premises.
Alongside conventional offices, shops, schools and industrial premises, the county has thousands of businesses associated with tourism, hospitality, accommodation, leisure and the rural economy.
We can undertake fire risk assessments for premises including:
Shops and retail premises
Offices and commercial buildings
Workshops and industrial units
Warehouses
Pubs, cafés and restaurants
Hotels, guest houses and B&Bs
Holiday accommodation
Schools and educational premises
Churches and places of worship
Community buildings and village halls
Residential communal areas
Small and medium-sized businesses
Importantly, an assessment should reflect the premises as they actually exist.
We don't believe that good fire risk assessment is simply a case of working through a generic checklist. The building, its use, its occupants and the way fire safety is managed all need to be considered together.
Fire Risk Assessments for Schools in Cornwall
Schools present their own fire safety challenges.
The number and age of occupants, evacuation arrangements and range of activities taking place within a typical school mean that a fire risk assessment needs to consider considerably more than simply the location of extinguishers and fire exits.
Our experience includes fire risk assessment and wider health and safety support for primary schools, secondary schools and other educational environments.
Depending on the premises, a school fire risk assessment may consider:
Fire detection and warning systems
Emergency lighting
Escape routes and evacuation arrangements
Fire doors and compartmentation
Kitchens and catering areas
Plant and boiler rooms
Science, technology and practical teaching areas
Contractors and maintenance activities
Arrangements for vulnerable occupants
Staff training and fire drills
Testing, maintenance and record keeping
Through JCH Safety, schools can also access wider health and safety audits, competent-person support and safety consultancy, allowing fire safety to form part of a broader approach to managing risk.
Fire Safety in Cornwall's Older and Unusual Buildings
Cornwall's building stock is one of the reasons competent fire risk assessment can be particularly important.
Businesses throughout the county operate from converted houses, historic properties, former agricultural buildings, old inns, coastal properties and buildings that have been altered or extended many times over the years.
A converted guest house in St Ives, for example, may present very different considerations from a modern office in Truro or an industrial unit in Redruth.
Older and converted buildings don't automatically need every element replacing with the newest possible system.
A competent fire risk assessor should consider the building as it actually exists and determine whether the precautions provided are proportionate to the risk.
That means distinguishing between significant deficiencies that require action and sensible improvements that can be appropriately planned and prioritised.
What Does a Fire Risk Assessment Cover?
No two premises are identical, but a professional fire risk assessment will normally consider areas such as:
Sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen
Electrical installations and equipment
Heating arrangements
Cooking and other higher-risk activities
Smoking and arson risks
Dangerous substances, where applicable
Means of escape
Travel distances and exit arrangements
Fire doors and compartmentation
Fire alarm and detection systems
Emergency lighting
Fire extinguishers and other firefighting equipment
Fire safety signage
Arrangements for disabled and vulnerable occupants
Staff training and fire drills
Inspection, testing and maintenance
Fire safety management and record keeping
Following the assessment, you will receive a professional written fire risk assessment report identifying significant findings and providing practical recommendations where improvements are required.
Do I Legally Need a Fire Risk Assessment?
For most non-domestic premises in England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the Responsible Person to ensure that fire risks are properly assessed and managed.
Depending on the premises, the Responsible Person could be an employer, business owner, landlord, managing agent, charity, school or another person with control over the building.
Simply having an old fire risk assessment document on file isn't enough.
The assessment needs to remain suitable and sufficient, be kept under review and be acted upon where significant findings are identified.
A review should also be considered when there have been significant changes to the building, its occupancy, activities or fire precautions, or where there is reason to believe the existing assessment may no longer be valid.
Practical Fire Safety Advice – Not Just a Report
A fire risk assessment should help you manage fire safety, rather than leave you with an intimidating list of recommendations you don't understand.
Our approach is deliberately practical.
Where something needs improving, we aim to explain what the issue is, why it matters and what proportionate action should be considered.
For smaller businesses in particular, this can make the findings considerably easier to understand, prioritise and manage.
And our involvement doesn't have to end when the report arrives. If you have questions about the findings or recommendations, you have somebody you can speak to.
Local Fire Risk Assessments Across Cornwall
Whether you operate a small independent business in Penzance, manage commercial premises in Truro, run holiday accommodation near St Ives, have a workshop in Redruth, manage a school near Falmouth, or are responsible for premises elsewhere in Cornwall, we would be pleased to discuss your requirements.
Our service isn't limited to Cornwall's larger towns. We also cover smaller communities, villages and rural businesses throughout the county.
Need a Fire Risk Assessment in Cornwall?
If your existing fire risk assessment is due for review, you've recently taken over a property, the premises have changed, or you're simply unsure whether your current assessment remains suitable, get in touch with Cornwall Fire Risk Assessments by JCH Safety.
Tell us a little about the premises, including its location, approximate size, use and number of floors, and we can provide an indication of the likely cost.
Professional fire risk assessments across Cornwall from an experienced, qualified and registered fire risk assessor.
Cornwall Fire Risk Assessments by JCH Safety
Fire Risk Assessments | Fire Safety Advice | School Safety | Health & Safety Consultancy
Serving businesses and organisations throughout Cornwall.