Fire Risk Assessment Review

[jokar]

An answer from Coiln or anyone else would be beneficial.  What is an FRA reviview?

Is it a completely new FRA?

Is it a detailed examination of a previous FRA?

Is it a cursory look at a previous FRA?

In addition, what happens to FRA from the past, do they get kept for legal reasons or are they discarded<

[AnthonyB]

Review suggests something less than a full FRA.

I would take it a a check to see if the existing FRA remains valid.

In it's simplest terms you would ask "has anything changed?". If there have been any changes to the workplace, layout, usage, staffing, processes, etc, then your existing FRA may no longer be suitable & sufficent - as a result you then underatake a new one.

If there are no changes, then the review could declare the existing FRA adequate.

Any significant findings requiring action could be checked for progress and if running out of time flagged as high priority for completion.

Finally a general fire safety inspection to see if any "naughties" such as propped doors have occured and other checks that there are no failures in the controls set in the original FRA (e.g. check log book for suitable ongoing maintenance).

Most of our clients just have the whole thing redone just in case, mainly to keep tabs on tenants.

WRT past FRAs it's down to the individual site manager - some keep them for years, others don't. We always keep the current one live and archive the rest for perpituity

[Reg]

The RRFSO states
(3) Any such assessment must be reviewed by the responsible person regularly so as to keep it
up to date and particularly if—
(a) there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid; or
(b) there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates including when the premises, special, technical and organisational measures, or organisation of the work undergo significant changes, extensions, or conversions, and where changes to an assessment are required as a result of any such review, the responsible person must make them.

By statute it appears that risk assessment is intended to be a catch up process.  Surely to be effective it should be an essential part of the planning process as well.

[Ricardo]

I suppose if you think about it, a Fire Risk Assessment is a live document - one day you have your fire risk assessment carried out, the significant findings are all documented, then any defects(potential fire hazards) identified can form part of your fire safety action plan for eliminating or reducing the identified fire hazard/s to a tolerable risk.
Therefore from time to time and there is no laid down time stipulated in the current fire precautions(workplace)regulations, a periodic review should be carried out of your FRA, it would be wise to review your assessment at least annually.
As the soon to be withdrawn employers guide states "sooner or later you may introduce changes in your workplace which may have an effect on your fire risks and precautions, eg changes to the work processes, furniture,plant,machinery,substances,building,or the numbers of people likely to be present in the workplace.

Any of these could lead to new hazards or increased risk, so if there is any significant change, you will need to review your assessment in light of the new hazard or risk. and check to see if the existing arrangements are still deemed adequate or if changes are needed.

The periodic review can also help identify if matters highlighted in the original fire safety action plan have been attended to or been overlooked, this is why it is always advisable to have proposed timescales for implementing any necessary improvements as  identified by the original or last FRA.