Fire remains a considerable risk to businesses of all sizes, with the ability to inflict financial damage and put the lives of people at risk. Figures released by the DTI suggest that 80% of business faced with a serious fire will not be trading 12 months after the incident. Direct costs such as buildings and contents losses are often covered by insurance policies, but the indirect costs that can arise from a fire are difficult to quantify and therefore obtain cover for.

The key to good fire safety management is prevention, so that you can lessen the chances of an incident occurring in the first place, and avoid the situation of finding out the hard way what your insurance policy doesn't cover, and next year's premium increasing significantly.

The legal framework for regulating fire safety is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO), which places legal duties on what it refers to as the ‘responsible person'. The responsible person is usually the employer or any person that may have control over any part of the premises, and they have specific legal duties to:

•  Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment

•  Consider who may be especially at risk

•  Eliminate and reduce the risk from fire and its spreading, and provide general fire precautions to cope with any residual risk

•  Provide appropriate information and training to employees and people that may visit the premises.

•  Create a plan to deal with emergencies

LVR are able to assist you in the preparation of these measures, and in meeting the statutory legal requirements of the RRFSO.