The benefits of a professional fire risk assessment for retail businesses
Risks assessments are an essential component of fire safety. Having an assessment done can help you to safeguard your premises, and it can also save lives.
Although assessments are a legal requirement, they offer many other benefits as well. Read on to learn about the advantages associated with a retail fire risk assessment.
Professional assessments will allow you to avoid penalties
If you skip out on a Fire Risk Assessment — or fail to implement necessary safety precautions — you could wind up facing some hefty fines. In cases that involve severe negligence, penalties could even include prison time.
A professional assessment will help you to avoid these kinds of penalties. If you have your risk assessment carried out by a qualified Fire Risk Assessor, you can expect to receive a detailed record of their findings and a fire safety action plan that you’ll be able to implement. It’s a legal requirement for businesses to undergo a Fire Risk Assessment carried out by a competent person. Follow these guidelines and arrange to have a professional retail assessment done right away.
A professional assessment can promote good safety culture
If a fire does break out in your building, you’ll want to make sure that all of your employees are on the same page. You should strive to build a culture of safety in your office.
Having a professional assessment done is an excellent way for you to encourage good safety practices. When your staff sees that you are working with professionals to test fire alarms and develop evacuation plans, they will know that safety is a priority for you.
A professional assessment will dramatically decrease your risk levels
During your assessment, the assessor will be looking at a number of things. They’ll pay close attention to the layout of your building and the way it is constructed. They’ll look carefully at the electrical equipment in your building that could cause a fire to spark. They’ll research the building to see if there is a history of fire there.
The assessor you hire will be evaluating all kinds of fire hazards, from the storage of flammable liquids to your building’s lighting. They’ll identify risks and look at your defences. For example, you can expect an assessor to look at your protections against arson as well as the configuration and condition of your building’s escape routes.
Having an in-depth evaluation of your retail premises will allow you to address any issues that put you at risk for a fire. You’ll be able to dramatically increase the safety of your building if you follow the assessor’s advice.
No one wants to have to deal with the aftermath of a fire. If you work with a professional assessor, you’ll be able to reduce your risk level and protect your building against fires.
Many clients expect professional assessments
While assessments are a legal requirement, they are also something that many clients demand. If rent out office space or host events in your building, your clients will want to know that your business is entirely secure.
Having your assessment done by a layman could cause you to lose out on a lot of business. If you hire a qualified professional to handle your inspection, you’ll be able to present the results of that assessment to prospective clients. A professional assessment could have a positive impact on the health of your business.
Assessments can help with insurance claims
If you do wind up experiencing a fire, you’ll have to claim with your insurance company. While the claim process can be long and drawn off, having a professional assessment should make it much easier for you to get the money that you are owed.
If you can demonstrate that you had a full, professional assessment and that you followed the recommendations that the assessor made, your insurance provider will be able to see that you took every possible precaution. This kind of documentation can make it significantly easier to recoup losses through your insurance company.
As you can see, a professional fire risk assessment can benefit a business in all kinds of ways. You should book a professional assessment for your retail business sooner rather than later. Make sure you’re doing everything in your power to protect your business from the risks of fires.
