Fire safety policy

A fire safety policy is a document that outlines how you intend to manage the risks associated with fire. It shouldn’t be a complicated document and should be available for all staff and visitors to see.

A statement of intent

Our Fire Safety Policy is split into two parts; the first of which is a general statement of policy. This sets out in some detail how you approach fire safety and the precautions you’ve introduced to manage it effectively.

Detailed arrangements

One of the most important functions a fire safety policy can perform is to provide everyone with the information they need so that they understand what’s expected of them. To cover a complex subject as simply as possible, we’ve set out the detailed arrangements of the policy in a table listing each topic and tasks required. For example, these cover key roles, procedures and hardware such as signage, extinguishers and alarms. They also cover management tasks such as risk assessment, monitoring, policy review and staff training. There’s a third column which is blank, ready for you to complete the name of the person who’s been allocated with the responsibility for each task. So responsibilities are absolutely clear - there’s no room for excuses.

What to do with your policy

However, you can’t expect your staff to follow the policy if they haven’t seen it. So we recommend that you: • issue all new starters with a copy of the policy during their induction and get them to sign to say they have read and understood it • make sure all of your existing employees have copies • post a copy of your policy on notice boards • put an electronic copy of your policy on to the company Intranet/website (if you have one) • refer to your policy in all fire training sessions • record its publication in minutes of a board meeting • measure performance of staff against the allocated responsibilities.