Fire risk assessment template

[Mar62]

Just wanted peoples view really.

Scenario - I did a load of assessments for a fire company. I have now found out that this company have passed my template to another contractor who are providing fire risk assessments using a heavily reproduced copy of my template that took me a lot of time to develop. The other contractor is now also being passed work that I worked on last year and both will be receiving financial gain. I have sought legal advice regarding copyright etc and I have a case if I choose.

Anyone ever been in the same boat?

[Golden]

Hi Martin, yes and pretty much all of us who produce FRAs will get ripped off at some point but I'd think it would be really difficult to prove any loss or a certain contributor to this forum would be forever trying to prove that his template had been stolen!!

I've even had one company who I used to work for asking me to use my template for new guys who don't charge as much as their work is substandard. You also need to watch out for companies stealing your contacts, clients, etc. - even off of places like LinkedIn where they'll advertise for assessors and ask you to send them samples. Its cut-throat out there and I've even noticed a drop in my business recently due to the number of fire risk assessors who've done a 3 day course now charging low rates for FRAs that are mass produced tick boxes carried out on a tablet without any knowledge of the depth of fire safety knowledge required in many buildings.

[Mar62]

Hi Golden. Yep exactly the same. The risk assessment I saw that had used my template was awful. I know the building well and they had done an assessment in a tenants area. it really didn't reflect the building at all.

Some others I have seen recently are just a mass of ticked boxes.

I am still considering my options, as I said I have taken legal advice already and under copyright law they reckon I have a case but just depends on whether I can be bothered!

[William 29]

Yes I have had experience of this. A "client" asked us to do a one off FRA for a block of flats. Years later I came across an FRA that was a direct copy of an older template we had done, they had even copied the odd typo. We sought legal advice and paid to have letters sent for breach of Copyright and the individual paid us compensation based on how long the template had been used, number of FRAs done and the financial reward gained.

[lyledunn]

It's a pity to see the experts squeezed from Fire risk assessment activity. Just about ever fire extinguisher and fire alarm company seem to offer a FRA service. I note also a number of PAT outfits are also at the game! Small wonder templates are being nicked!

[Fire Monkey]

Hello,

This is why I issue all my FRAs as PDFs. Using PDfs is a excellent way to prevent unscrupulous persons modifying a FRA to suit their own needs(yes this does happen). kKeep the Word master in your personal drive so you and you alone can use it.