One of the roles of the Response Person is to ensure that staff who undertake work that involves any fire safety systems or equipment and is carried out by a competent person. All notifiable electrical work must be carried out by a registered electrician who will issue a Buildings Regulations compliance certificate on completion.
Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK (CROSS-UK) recently received reports of two incidents from one fire and rescue service which raised concern about the lack of competence of maintenance personnel working in care homes. Both incidents put the lives of residents at risk.
Following an emergency call to a specialist care home providing end of life/palliative care firefighters discovered that a light fitting had been shorting, resulting in it overheating and starting to smoke. On inspection by a qualified electrician, it was clear the installation had been carried out by an unqualified maintenance person. The Responsible Person for this and four other care homes received an official letter reminding them of their responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order and urgently requested that a review of all electrical wiring in each of the properties where the person responsible for the dangerous works had worked. Furthermore, the person responsible should be informed by the Responsible Person that they were no longer to undertake work for which they were not qualified or competent to do.
The second incident occurred following a fire safety inspection in a care home for residents over 65. One of the recommendations made following the initial inspection was that the fire doors be upgraded by fitting them with intumescent strips and cold smoke seals. However, a follow up inspection found that the strips and seals were incorrectly routed into the frame, not the door, making it likely that a door could open and allow smoke and flames through, compromising the evacuation of people. Cutting into the frames rendered them unfit for purpose and necessitated further work (and cost) to replace them.
The two incidents above highlight how a lack of understanding regarding the competence required by staff and personnel can create the potential for a tragic incident.
Fire risk assessors also need to be competent in the role they undertake. This can be demonstrated by third party certification of the company by a UKAS accredited Certification Body. All London Fore Consultants assessors carry this accreditation. Click here for further information.