Metro Safety have a great deal of experience of working with organisations within the health and social care sector and understand that this can be one of the most challenging sectors to work in from a compliance perspective.
We have particular expertise in providing fire safety services to this sector having worked with a number of NHS Trusts, care homes and providers of specialised housing. We are able to provide a complete turnkey solution for fire encompassing risk assessments, evacuation planning, equipment testing and maintenance, consultancy and training and are happy to tailor these to form a bespoke package to meet your organisational requirements.
Details of the service combinations that we think are likely to be of most interest to you are shown below, however for details of our complete range of fire safety services please visit our fire services page.
Fire Risk Assessments
The very nature of organisations within the health and social care sector means that extra consideration needs to be made to cater for the physical and cognitive impairments which leave many patients and residents at increased vulnerability in an emergency situation. These are of particular relevance when undertaking fire risk assessments and developing emergency evacuation plans. Enhanced and more robust fire safety arrangements will normally be required in order to mitigate the resulting risks.
It’s important to make sure that the person undertaking the fire risk assessment is competent and familiar with the heightened risks synonymous with this sector. Failure to produce a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, and the appointment of someone who is not competent to undertake the assessment, both constitute breaches of the Fire Safety Order 2005.
Metro SRM are BAFE SP205 certified for the provision of fire risk assessments. All of our fire risk assessors are experienced fire safety professionals, the majority also hold individual third party accreditation. Appointing a third party accredited fire risk assessor, such as Metro SRM, is a clear indication that the responsible person has exercised due diligence.
Remedial Action Plans
The action plan within the fire risk assessment report will identify and prioritise any significant issues in your fire safety arrangements. These will need to be addressed in order to help eliminate or reduce the risk to patients or residents and staff from fire, and the risk of enforcement action or prosecution to the responsible person. We are conscious that actioning any remedials may prove costly both in monetary terms as well as the time. Our consultants therefore try to propose practical solutions which achieve the right balance between cost and the reduction of appropriate and necessary risk.
Fire Safety Training
Fire safety training is an essential requirement for all types of premises, but it is absolutely critical to help ensure safety in situations where occupants may need more time, or require assistance in order to react to a fire emergency.
Staff must receive initial and refresher training commensurate with their responsibilities. You may need to review the frequency, suitability and effectiveness of your fire safety training to make sure your staff have received the appropriate training to be able to carry out their roles effectively.
Metro Safety are able to provide a range of generic fire safety and fire warden training courses. We also offer bespoke training which can be designed to fit the needs of your organisation and staff responsibilities. For more information please visit our fire safety training pages
Emergency Plans
Emergency evacuation plans set out clear actions that staff and various identified post holders must follow in the event of a fire emergency. The evacuation plan forms the basis for your fire safety training requirements, and together they form a considered, practiced and effective response to fire emergencies.
Emergency Information Packs are intended to assist the Fire and Rescue Service upon their arrival at an incident. They will enable the fire service to quickly evaluate the risks, both within the building and to their staff and get crews to work with the minimum of delay. We are able to work with you to produce emergency evacuation plans and emergency information packs specifically designed to fit the circumstances of your individual premises. These can be tied in to your staff’s fire safety training.
Fire Safety Consultancy
The high risk nature of this sector means that bespoke consultancy may often be needed to advise on particular areas of fire safety.
Our senior fire safety advisors have worked with a number of individual care homes and trusts to provide situational fire safety advice relevant to issues facing their individual organisations. We have also worked with individual Trusts to design and deliver bespoke hospital policies and procedures based around the mental health challenges Vis-a-Vis arson.
Fire Safety Equipment Testing and Maintenance
To comply with fire safety legislation your fire safety equipment must be regularly tested maintained to make sure that is remains in good working order and will function effectively in case a fire breaks out. There are penalties for non-compliance.
We can help ensure that all your fire safety systems including fire alarm systems, emergency lighting and sprinklers are maintained to the right standards at the right frequency. We also have a nationwide network of dedicated testers who can take care of weekly and monthly testing routines, delivering a regular testing schedule to minimise disruption. We believe that we provide unsurpassed quality and reliability in our routine services across the UK. For further information please visit our fire safety service page.
Further Information
Please contact us on 0845 058 9999 for further information