Healthcare Health and Safety Level 2 (VTQ)

57 videos, 2 hours and 32 minutes

Course Content

The Fire Briefing

Video 38 of 57
3 min 10 sec
English
English
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The fire briefing can be in many forms, depending on your workplace. You must give clear and relevant information and appropriate instructions to any member staff and the employers of any people working in premises such as contractors on how to prevent fires, and what should be done if there is a fire. Any other relevant person should be given information about fire safety arrangements as soon as possible. If you intend to employ a child, you must inform the parents of the significant risk, and have identified the precautions you have taken. You must also cooperate and coordinate with other responsible people who use any parts of the premises. It is unlikely that your emergency plan will work without this.

All staff should be given information and instructions as soon as possible after they are appointed and regularly after that. Make sure you include staff who work outside normal working hours, such as contract cleaners or maintenance staff. The information and instructions you give must be in a clear form so that it could be easily understood. They should take into account those with disabilities such as hearing or sight impairment, those with learning difficulties, and those who do not use English as their first language.

The information instruction you give should be based on your emergency plan and must include the significant findings from your risk assessments, the measures that you have put in place to reduce risk in your workplace, what staff should do in the event of a fire, identifying people you have nominated with the responsibilities for fire safety, and any special arrangements for serious and imminent danger, to persons, from the fire. With your fire risk assessment, you need to think about things like: Do you have an emergency plan and where necessary have you recorded all the details? Does your plan take into account any other emergency plans applicable in the building? Is the plan readily available for staff to read? Is the emergency plan available to enforcing authorities?

In small premises where no significant risks have been identified and there are limited numbers of staff, information instruction may be simply involved an explanation of the fire procedures and how they are able to be applied. This should include, showing staff the fire protection arrangements including the designated escape routes, location and operation of fire warning systems, and any other fire safety equipment provided such as fire extinguishers. Fire action notices can be good to complement this with information. Where used, these should be posted in permanent locations.

In larger premises, particularly those in multi-occupied buildings, you should ensure that written instructions are given to people who have been nominated to carry out designated safety tasks such as calling the Fire and Rescue Service or checking the exit doors are available for use at the start of each working day.