Clear steps for every worker on discovering a fire, from raising the alarm and using an extinguisher to evacuation, assembly and going back in.

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Further Reading

Further guidance on fire safety:

• Fire Safety at Work
• Emergency Preparedness
• Managing Emergency Lighting
• Health and Safety knowledge base

How to Download

These files are included in the alphaZ subscription. The training talk is also included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.

Need Help Implementing?

If you'd like hands-on help preparing your fire safety risk assessment and evacuation arrangements, our remote support services provide direct expert input from our team, by the day, by project, or on an ongoing basis.

Fire Safety Guidance

A general guidance document on fire safety, for everyone in the workplace. It covers how fires start and how to prevent them, what to do on discovering a fire, when to use firefighting equipment, how to evacuate safely and when it is safe to go back in. It does not cover fire risk assessment.

Topics Covered

• Causes of fire - how fires start accidentally, by act or omission, or deliberately, and the fire triangle of fuel, oxygen and ignition
• Raising the alarm - raising the alarm on discovering or suspecting a fire, with someone given the role of calling the fire service
• Firefighting equipment - using an extinguisher only when trained and safe to do so, checking its label, and knowing when to get out instead
• Evacuating the building - leaving promptly and calmly by the nearest fire exit, shutting down hazardous machinery and not stopping for belongings
• Assembly points - gathering at the designated assembly or muster point so it can be confirmed that everyone is out safely
• Returning to the building - never going back in until the emergency services or the person in charge of the evacuation say it is safe

Who Is It For?

All workers, including anyone given a role in an emergency, such as calling the fire service or taking charge of an evacuation.

Included in the ISO 45001 Toolkit

This guidance is supplied with the TT-7-09 Fire Safety training talk, which is part of the ISO 45001 Toolkit and the integrated toolkits that include it.

Using the Guidance

Issue it at induction, keep it with your site fire evacuation procedure, and go through it again when exits or assembly points change. Record who has received it, for example on the training matrix.

What to Do on Discovering a Fire

The guidance gives clear steps for anyone who discovers or suspects a fire. Raise the alarm immediately, using a system that can alert everyone in the building, and always make the call to the fire service. Use an extinguisher only if trained and it is safe to do so, check its label first, and if the fire is bigger than a waste-paper bin, get out.

Adapting the Guidance

Edit the guidance to match your own arrangements - your fire alarm system, who calls the fire service, your assembly points, the machinery to shut down and your site fire evacuation procedure.

Related Documents

Other documents that work alongside this guidance:

• PP-7-09 Fire Safety Policy Procedure
• P-57 Fire Safety Policy
• F-HS28 Fire Safety Risk Assessment
• F-HS38 Fire Extinguisher Register
• F-HS46 Fire Door Inspection Checklist
• GG-1-20 Emergency Lighting