Fire Risk Assessments for Care Homes can be difficult tasks for assessors. Care homes provide a vital service, providing much-needed residential support for some of the most vulnerable people in society.

When a family entrusts a care home with their loved ones, they rightly expect that they are always kept as safe as possible.

Whilst this involves providing the highest standard of medical care, it also includes taking all possible measures to make the premises fire safe.

Having a Fire Risk Assessment conducted on site is always the first step towards fire safety.

A Fire Risk Assessment from UK Fire Consultants provides clear, user-friendly recommendations to ensure that your site is fully compliant with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

However, undertaking Fire Risk Assessments for care homes poses several unique challenges for our nationwide network of fully accredited Fire Risk Assessors. Below we have detailed some of these challenges to help any assessment in your premises go smoothly.

Accessing Rooms

An obvious challenge when undertaking fire risk assessments in care homes is accessing the individual rooms for each resident.

The whole of the care home will need assessing for the report, which could prove difficult when residents are infirm or have special needs.

The assessment should also take in any locations outdoors, as well as any areas which are not commonly used. To help address this, assessors should plan in advance and carry out the assessment in a considerable, systematic way which factors in the requirements of staff, residents and customers alike.

Identifying People at Risk

All Fire Risk Assessments for care homes are broken down into five steps. One of these steps is identifying people at risk.

For care homes, this would include staff, residents and also visitors. After identifying the people at risk, any assessment should then consider the risk to each different group.

Amongst the residents, there is likely to be individuals with differing needs. Some may have limited mobility, and some may prefer to have bedroom doors open compared to others who require them to be closed.

Once the people at risk have been identified, you must then act to remove or limit those risks. This may involve suggesting a revision to the layout to reduce evacuation distances for some residents, remove or reduce storage of combustible materials or ignition sources, and ensuring all electrical equipment are well-maintained and suitable for the environment.

Identifying Ignition Sources

To address fire risks, you must follow another step of a Fire Risk Assessment which is to identify all fire hazards.

This involves identifying sources of ignition. A complex premises like a care home may have a variety of rooms such as a kitchen, office, storage rooms and obviously residential areas.

Each of these will include their own sources of ignition – cooking equipment, lighting, heater, electrical equipment – and all this will need to be factored into any assessment.

Ensuring that any ignition sources are well-maintained and used safely is a big step towards reducing the risk of fires in care homes.

All Fire Risk Assessments for care homes should be reviewed regularly by the customer to ensure that these standards are being upheld.

Identifying Sources of Fuel

For a fire to start, it requires a source of ignition, oxygen and fuel. After identifying sources of ignition, you must also find all sources of fuel.

A care home will be full of potential fuel sources. These include laundry supplies, cleaning products, wooden furniture, Christmas decorations and cooking oils.

Once these sources have been identified, actions must then be taken to ensure that risks are reduced.

The safe storage of combustible materials could mean reducing the number of materials stored in one place or separating any flammable solids from flammable liquids.

How UKFC Can Help With Fire Risk Assessments for Care Homes

UK Fire Consultants understand that the safety of residents, staff and visitors is a top priority for care homes.

We work with a nationwide network of Fire Risk Assessment specialists who understand the challenges of Fire Risk Assessments for care homes. We pride ourselves on removing the stress involved with fire safety compliance and work closely with our customers to ensure that their entire site is protected.

If you are responsible for a care home and would like assistance with fire safety at your premises, contact our expert team today.

Get a Quote