Hotel Fire Risk Assessment and Consultancy Advice

Active Fire Management’s consultancy services were called upon this month to assist a hotel in Brighton who were acting upon recommendations made by their Local Authority Inspecting Officer.  One of the recommendations was to ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment was carried out as the existing fire risk assessment for the premises had been deemed inadequate.  As an added service, a Fire Safety Policy was also provided to the hotel including operational arrangements, staff duties and responsibilities, fire instructions, evacuation, fire prevention, fire equipment and fire training arrangements to ensure that the hotel and its employees remain compliant with the relevant statutory requirements and guidance documents in future.

Company Director Kerry Lawrence said “We were very pleased to have been able to react so quickly to this customer’s needs as we provided the fire risk assessment on the same day.  Many businesses come to us with similar requests and we can always ensure peace of mind that our fire risk assessments will meet with Local Authority requirements”.

Numerous other fire risk assessments have also been carried out this month for a number of Housing Association premises and also within a large, five storey premises of mixed use including retail, entertainment, offices and sleeping accommodation.

Assessing means of escape

The aim of the following paragraphs is to provide enough information for you to make a reasonable assessment of the escape routes from your workplace to decide whether they are adequate and can be safely used in the event of fire. Because of the wide variation in the type of workplaces covered by the Fire Regulations, it is only possible to give a general guide to the level of precautions required to satisfy those Regulations in most workplaces. So this guide does not seek to give specific advice about each individual type of workplace. If your workplace is unusual, particularly if it is a large, complex premises or involved with specialised activities or risks, you may wish to seek specialist advice or refer to further specific guidance.

In some cases, it may be necessary to provide additional means of escape or to improve the fire protection of existing escape routes. If, having carried out your risk assessment, you think this might be the case in your workplace, consult the fire authority and, where necessary, your local building control officer before carrying out any alterations. It would be a time-consuming and complicated process, requiring specialist expertise, to establish the time needed in each individual case. So this guide uses an established method for assessing means of escape which has been found to be generally acceptable in all but the most particular circumstances. This method is based upon limiting travel distances according to the category of potential fire risk the workplace falls into.

These distances ensure that people will be able to escape within the appropriate period of time. You can use actual calculated escape times but should do so only after consulting a fire safety specialist with appropriate training and expertise in this field.
Fire risk categories for assessing the means of escape

In general, most workplaces can be categorised as high, normal or low risk. Examples of the type of workplace or areas within workplaces likely to fall within these categories are:High

Where highly flammable or explosive materials are stored or used (other than in small quantities).

Where unsatisfactory structural features are present such as:

lack of fire-resisting separation;

vertical or horizontal openings through which fire, heat and smoke can spread;

long and complex escape routes created by extensive subdivision of large floor areas by partitions, or the distribution of display units in shops or machinery in factories; and

large areas of flammable or smoke-producing surfaces on either walls or ceilings.

Where permanent or temporary work activities are carried out which have the potential for fires to start and spread such as:

workshops in which highly flammable materials are used, e.g. paint spraying;

areas where the processes involve the use of naked flame, or produce excessive heat;

large kitchens in works canteens and restaurants;

refuse chambers and waste disposal areas; and

areas where foamed plastics or upholstered furniture are stored.

Where there is a significant risk to life in case of fire, such as where:
sleeping accommodation is provided for staff, the public or other visitors in significant numbers;

treatment or care is provided where the occupants have to rely upon the actions of limited numbers of staff for their safe evacuation;
there is a high proportion of elderly or infirm people, or people with temporary or permanent physical or mental disabilities, who need assistance to escape;

groups of people are working in isolated parts of the premises such as basements, roof spaces, cable ducts and service tunnels etc; and
large numbers of people are present relative to the size of the premises (e.g. sales at department stores) or in other circumstances where only a low level of assistance may be available in an emergency (e.g. places of entertainment and sports events).

Normal

Where any outbreak of fire is likely to remain confined or only spread slowly, allowing people to escape to a place of safety.
Where the number of people present is small and the layout of the workplace means they are likely to be able to escape to a place of safety without assistance.
Where the workplace has an effective automatic warning system, or an effective automatic fire-extinguishing, -suppression or -containment system, which may reduce the risk classification from high risk.

Low

Where there is minimal risk to people's lives and where the risk of fire occurring is low, or the potential for fire, heat and smoke spreading is negligible.
The work you have done on assessing the risks and reducing the risk of fire occurring, together with the knowledge you have gained about the location of people at risk, should generally provide you with the information you need to establish the risk category or categories of your workplace.

General principles for escape routes

Other than in small workplaces, or from some rooms of low or normal fire risk, there should normally be alternative means of escape from all parts of the workplace. Routes which provide means of escape in one direction only (from a dead-end) should be avoided wherever possible as this could mean that people have to move towards a fire in order to escape. Each escape route should be independent of any other and arranged so that people can move away from a fire in order to escape. Escape routes should always lead to a place of safety. They should also be wide enough for the number of occupants and should not normally reduce in width. Escape routes and exits should be available for use and kept clear of obstruction at all times.

Evacuation times and length of escape routes

The aim is, from the time the fire alarm is raised, for everyone to be able to reach a place of relative safety, i.e. a storey exit (see 'Technical terms relating to means of escape'), within the time available for escape.The time for people to reach a place of relative safety should include the time it takes them to react to a fire warning.

This will depend on a number of factors including:
what they are likely to be doing when the alarm is raised, e.g. sleeping, having a meal etc;

what they may have had to do before starting to escape, e.g. turn off machinery, help other people etc; and
their knowledge of the building and the training they have received about the routine to be followed in the event of fire.

Where necessary, you can check these by carrying out a practice drill.

To ensure that the time available for escape is reasonable, the length of the escape route from any occupied part of the workplace to the storey exit should not exceed:

Where more than one route is provided

25 metres - high-fire-risk area;
32 metres - normal-fire-risk (sleeping) area;
45 metres - normal-fire-risk area;
60 metres - low-fire-risk area.

Where only a single escape route is provided

12 metres - high-fire-risk area;
16 metres - normal-fire-risk (sleeping) area;
18 metres - normal-fire-risk area (except production areas in factories);
25 metres - normal-fire-risk area (including production areas within factories);
45 metres -low-fire-risk area.

Where the route leading to a storey exit starts in a corridor with a dead-end, then continues via a route which has an alternative, the total distance should not exceed that given above for 'Where more than one route is provided'. However, the distances within the 'dead-end portion' should not exceed those given for 'Where only a single escape route is provided'.

People with disabilities

You may need to make special arrangements for staff with disabilities, which should be developed in consultation with the staff themselves. British Standard 5588: Part 8 gives guidance and provides full information.

Premises providing residential care and/or treatment

The distances shown in the paragraphs above may not be suitable for workplaces providing residential care. You should refer to the relevant guidance listed in the References section or seek specialist advice.

Number and width of exits

There should be enough available exits, of adequate width, from every room, storey or building. The adequacy of the escape routes and doors can be assessed on the basis that:
a doorway of no less than 750 millimetres in width is suitable for up to 40 people per minute (where doors are likely to be used by wheelchair users the doorway should be at least 800 millimetres wide); and

a doorway of no less than 1 metre in width is suitable for up to 80 people per minute.
Where more than 80 people per minute are expected to use a door, the minimum doorway width should be increased by 75 millimetres for each additional group of 15 people.

For the purposes of calculating whether the existing exit doorways are suitable for the numbers using them, you should assume that the largest exit door from any part of the workplace may be unavailable for use. This means that the remaining doorways should be capable of providing a satisfactory means of escape for everyone present.

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Further guidance regarding escape routes

This section provides further guidance on the general principles that apply to escape routes and provides examples of typical escape route solutions for a range of common building layouts. The guidance is based on premises of normal risk so if your premises (or part of your premises) are higher (or lower) risk you should adapt the solution accordingly.
Fire-resisting construction
The type and age of construction are crucial factors to consider when assessing the adequacy of the existing escape routes. To ensure the safety of people it may be necessary to protect escape routes from the effects of fire.

In older premises it is possible that the type of construction and materials used may not perform to current fire standards. Also changes of occupier and refurbishment may have led to;

Cavities and voids being created, allowing the potential for a fire to spread unseen.

Doors and hardware worn by age and movement being less likely to limit the spread of smoke.

Damage or lack of cavity barriers in modular construction.

Breaches in fire compartment walls, floors and ceilings created by the installation of new services, e.g. computer cabling.

Where an escape route needs to be separated from the rest of the premises by fire-resisting construction, e.g. a dead-end corridor or protected stairway, then you should ensure the following;

Doors (including access hatches to cupboards, ducts and vertical shafts linking floors) walls, floors and ceilings protecting escape routes should be capable of resisting the passage of smoke and fire for long enough so that people can escape from the building.

Where suspended or false ceilings are provided, the fire resistance should extend up to the floor slab level above. For means of escape purposes a 30 minutes fire-resisting rating is normally enough.

Cavity barriers, fire stopping and dampers in ducts are appropriately installed.
Number of people using the premises

As your escape routes need to be adequate for the people likely to use them you will need to consider how many people, including employees and the public, may be present at any one time. Where premises have been subject to building regulations approval for use as either an office or a shop, the number and width of escape routes and exits will normally be enough for the anticipated number of people using the building. In such buildings where the risk has changed or buildings were constructed before national Buildings Regulations it is still necessary to confirm the provision.

For offices, the maximum numbers of staff, visitors and contractors liable to be in the building at the same time will be known by the responsible person. For shops, the responsible person will normally be aware of the maximum number of people liable to be present from a personal knowledge of trading patterns. There will also be an appreciation of the use of the building by those with special needs, such as the disabled.

Mobility impairment

Effective management arrangements need to be put in place for those that need help to escape. Consider the following points;

A refuge is a place of reasonable safety in which disabled people can wait either for an evacuation lift or for assistance up or down stairs. Disabled people should not be left alone in a refuge area whilst waiting for assistance with evacuation from the building. Depending on the design and fire resistance of other elements, a refuge could be a lobby, corridor, part of a public area or stairway, or an open space such as a flat roof, balcony or similar place which is sufficiently protected (or remote) from any fire risk and provided with its own means of escape and a means of communication.

Where refuges are provided, they should be enclosed in a fire-resisting structure which creates a protected escape route which leads directly to a place of total safety and should only be used in conjunction with effective management rescue arrangements. Your fire safety strategy should not rely on the fire and rescue service rescuing people waiting in these refuges.

In firefighting lifts (provided in high buildings as firefighting access) are to be used for evacuation, this should be co-ordinated with the fire and rescue service as part of the pre-planned evacuation procedures.

Normal lifts may be considered suitable for fire evacuation purposes, subject to an adequate fire risk assessment and development of a suitable fire strategy by a competent person.

Since evacuation lifts can fail, having reached a refuge a disabled person should also be able to gain access to a stairway (should conditions in the refuge become untenable). An evacuation lift with its associated refuge should therefore be located adjacent to a protected stairway.

Enough escape routes should always be available for use by disabled people. This does not mean that every exit will need to be adapted. Staff should be aware of routes suitable for disabled people so that they can direct and help people accordingly.
Stairways used for the emergency evacuation of disabled people should comply with the requirements for internal stairs in the building regulations, specialist evacuation chairs or other equipment may be necessary to negotiate stairs.

Plans should allow for the careful carrying of disabled people down stairs without their wheelchairs, should the wheelchair be too large or heavy. You will need to take into account health and safety manual handling procedures in addition to the dignity and confidence of the disabled person.

Stairlifts should not be used for emergency evacuation. Where installed in a stairway used for emergency evacuation, no parts of the lift, such as its carriage rail, should be allowed to reduce the effective width of the stairway or any other part of an emergency evacuation route.

Where ramps are necessary for the emergency evacuation of people in wheelchairs they should be gentle as possible. Ramps should be constructed in accordance with Approved Document M.