EMBERSHIELD

Fire, Health & Safety

Embershield is a BAFE SP205 UKAS accredited provider of life safety fire risk assessments. We provide fire risk assessments and health & safety risk assessments across the UK for residential and commercial clients in the following buildings:

Services

Fire Risk Assessments

Evacuation Planning

Fire Door Inspections

Health & Safety Risk Assessments

Fire Safety Checklists

Passive Fire Protection Inspections

Fire Safety Advice

Cloud Based Software

About

Embershield is BAFE SP 205 certificated and will work with you to ensure any premise you are responsible for is fully compliant with current legislation and guidance relating to fire, health & safety matters.

We will provide you with a comprehensive report on your premise including a detailed action plan which will explain any further measures that may need implementation.

All risk assessments are held on our secure server where they can be viewed and downloaded at any time. We also provide a complete compliance management system with 3 options from basic access to fully bespoke document storage, tracking, dashboards, trend analysis and action shutdowns with a complete audit trail.

Embershield’s Managing Director and lead Fire Risk Assessor is Robert Green, a former firefighter with 10 years experience in the fire sector. He also served in the British Army for 12 years prior to entering the Fire Service. Robert is listed on the NAFRAR Tier 3 National Fire Risk Assessors Register, has the NEBOSH National Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management qualification, is a Graduate member of The Institute of Fire Engineers and is an Associate member of The Institute of Fire Safety Managers.

FAQs

Why do I need a fire risk assessment?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty to carry out fire risk assessments and implement control measures on the responsible person.

“The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order”

“The responsible person must take such general fire precautions as will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of any of his employees; and in relation to relevant persons who are not his employees, take such general fire precautions as may reasonably be required in the circumstances of the case to ensure that the premises are safe”
Why do I need a Health & Safety risk assessment?

The Health & Safety at Work Act also places a duty on an employer, landlord, managing agent to:

“Ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety, and welfare of employees, and to ensure that employees and others are kept safe. Under the Act you have an obligation to ensure any potential risk of work-related violence is eliminated or controlled. If you have five or more employees you must have a written health and safety policy statement, setting out how you manage health and safety in your organisation”

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999 also require:

Employers to consider the health and safety risks to employees and to carry out a risk assessment to protect employees from exposure to reasonably foreseeable risks. Those risks include work-related violence. A risk assessment is an examination to:

1. Determine what hazards exist in the workplace;
2. Establish the significance of the risk;
3. Identify and implement prevention and control measures;
4. Produce a clear management action plan.

If you have five or more employees you must record the significant findings of your risk assessment and any groups of employees identified by it as being especially at risk. In addition, employers have a requirement to appoint competent people, set up emergency procedures, provide information to employees and work together with employers sharing the same workplace.
What does the fire risk assessment process involve?
1. Obtain information on the building, the processes carried out in the building and the people present, or likely to be present, in the building;
2. Identify the fire hazards and the means for their elimination or control;
3. Assess the likelihood of a fire;
4. Determine the fire protection measures in the building;
5. Obtain relevant information about fire safety management;
6. Make assessment of the likely consequences to people in the event of fire;
7. Make an assessment of the fire risk;
8. Formulate and document an action plan;
9. Define the date by which the fire risk assessment should be reviewed.
How often do I need a risk assessment?
This will depend on the type and complexity of the building and the current level of risk for example:
1. High risk premises then yearly would be advised.
2. Moderate risk premises then 2 yearly.
3. Low risk then 3 yearly.
A risk assessment is needed if there are:
1. Any material changes to the building,
2. Change of use.
3. After any incidents.
4. After any action by the enforcing authorities.
5. Regular reviews are also needed.
What are common fire safety hazards?
Fires need three things to start – a source of ignition (heat), a source of fuel (something that burns) and oxygen:
1. Sources of ignition include heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, smokers’ materials (cigarettes, matches etc), and anything else that can get very hot or cause sparks.
2. Sources of fuel include wood, paper, plastic, rubber or foam, loose packaging materials, waste rubbish and furniture.
3. Sources of oxygen include the air around us.
What should a “Responsible Person” do?

Employers (and/or building owners or occupiers) must carry out a fire safety risk assessment and keep it up to date. This shares the same approach as health and safety risk assessments and can be carried out either as part of an overall risk assessment or as a separate exercise.

Based on the findings of the assessment, employers need to ensure that adequate and appropriate fire safety measures are in place to minimise the risk of injury or loss of life in the event of a fire.

To help prevent fire in the workplace, your risk assessment should identify what could cause a fire to start, ie sources of ignition (heat or sparks) and substances that burn, and the people who may be at risk.

Once you have identified the risks, you can take appropriate action to control them. Consider whether you can avoid them altogether or, if this is not possible, how you can reduce the risks and manage them. Also consider how you will protect people if there is a fire.
To Summarise, ensure that you:
1. Carry out a fire safety risk assessment.
2. Keep sources of ignition and flammable substances apart.
3. Avoid accidental fires, eg make sure heaters cannot be knocked over.
4. Ensure good housekeeping at all times, eg avoid build-up of rubbish that could burn.
5. Consider how to detect fires and how to warn people quickly if they start, eg installing smoke alarms and fire alarms or warning devices.
6. Have the correct fire-fighting equipment for putting a fire out quickly.
7. Keep fire exits and escape routes clearly marked and unobstructed at all times
8. Ensure your workers receive appropriate training on procedures they need to follow, including fire drills.
9. Review and update your risk assessment regularly.

Your question is not here?

Email Us

Contact

Terms and Conditions
1. These terms & conditions apply to all services that you instruct us to provide and cannot be varied or amended except in writing and signed by both parties.
2. Client (referred to throughout as ‘Client or ‘you’) means any person, company, firm or legal entity named on our fee quote.
3. Embershield Ltd (referred to as ‘Embershield’, ‘us’ or ‘we’) means staff, Directors or premises owned or controlled by Embershield.
4. The Company trades as Embershield Ltd and can be contacted at info@embershield.co.uk.
5. Your fee quote forms an Agreement which becomes binding on the date of acceptance or on the date the work is commenced (with the Client’s approval) whichever is earlier.
6. We shall confirm that email correspondence from you is authority that you agree to such communications.
7. If you do wish to communicate with us by e-mail, by accepting these Terms you confirm that you understand the risks of doing so and you authorise us to act upon electronic instructions which have been transmitted (or appear to have been transmitted) by you.
  
  Fees
8. An Initial 10-minute consultation by phone is complimentary.
9. We confirm that Embershield is a Limited Company 11483587, is responsible for its own income tax and National Insurance contributions, and for paying VAT (where applicable) and will not claim benefits granted to the Client’s employees.
10. Invoices are due for payment on/or before 30 days from the date of the invoice.
11. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, we reserve the right to charge interest on overdue invoices at a rate of 1% per month from the date the invoice became overdue until payment is made and the account settled.
12. Payment may be made either by cash, cheque or by bank transfer (BACS).
13. If we are required to issue proceedings to recover any fees or disbursements and we are successful in such proceedings, you agree that you will pay our legal costs of such proceedings even if the amount claimed is suitable for the small claims track.
  
  Additional work
14. If we are required to undertake additional work outside the agreed scope of the services agreed in your Fee Quote additional charges will be agreed by the parties.
15. Any fees and disbursements are provided based on information you disclose to us. Such estimates are not therefore binding upon us if the information provided is in any way incomplete, misleading or wrong.
  
  Termination & Abortive fees
16. The Agreement can be terminated by either party by giving 7 days written notice.
17. In the event of the Agreement being terminated prior to completion of a project, the remuneration inclusive of all disbursements and liabilities incurred for the purposes of the Agreement, up to and including the date of termination shall be invoiced to the client and payment shall be due within 28 days from the date of the final invoice and we reserve the right to retain paperwork/documents whilst there are still funds outstanding.
18. Threatening and/or abusive behaviour or violence towards our company, staff or agents will not be tolerated and we reserve the right to terminate any contract and withdraw services with immediate effect and obtain payment as per Clause 17.
19. We may decide to stop our service to you as a result of circumstances out of our control such as unpaid fees, conflict of interest, impossibility of performance, acts of nature, providing incorrect information which we have relied on, material breach of your obligations to us. We will give you reasonable notice that we intend to cease working for you. Should this occur then you are liable for our charges and expenses up to the point of us notifying you of our intentions.
  
  Our property
20. In relation to any written report or advice prepared by us you agree that neither the whole nor any part of our report or advice or confidential information may be included in any published document, circular or statement or published in any way without our written approval prior to publication. Copyright in any reports, documents or other material provided to you by us shall remain our property at all times.
  
  Money laundering compliance
21. We are required by law to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, which may include requesting that you provide us with documentary proof of identity, proof of address and/or proof of funding in relation to a particular transaction or instruction. You agree to comply with any such requests promptly.
  Data protection
22. We will not disclose to any third party any personal data without your express authority to do so unless requested in accordance by agencies or for regulatory purposes mentioned in clause 21.
  
  Rights of Third Parties
23. The contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 will not apply to these Terms of Business or the client care letter unless stated otherwise.
  Distance selling and contracts made at your home or place of work
24. If we do not meet with you, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 will apply. This means you have the right to cancel your instructions to us within 14 days of receiving this document. You can cancel your instructions by notifying us in writing. If we have started work on your file, you may be charged for the work carried out up to the point of your cancellation instructions.
  
  Complaint procedure
25. If for any reason you are dissatisfied with the service provided, you should first of all refer it to Complaints Manager at 62-64 New Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 7PW who will investigate and take appropriate action.
26. A full copy of our Complaints Procedure is available on request.
  Limitation of liability
27. You agree not to bring any claim for any losses against any member, officer, director, employee or consultant of Embershield Ltd. You hereby agree that a staff member of Embershield Ltd does not have a personal duty of care to you and any claim for losses must be brought against the company – Embershield Ltd. It is agreed that any individual of Embershield Ltd may enforce this clause under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 but that these terms may be varied at any time without the need for them to consent.
28. We will not be liable in respect of any services outside the scope of our Fee Quote where it has been agreed to be performed by us. We will not be liable for any third party or in respect of any consequential losses or loss of profits.
29. Where any loss is suffered by you for which we and any other person are jointly and severally liable to you the loss recoverable by you from us shall be limited so as to be in proportion to our relative contribution to the overall fault.
30. The exclusions and limitations in this paragraph will not exclude or limit any liability for fraud or dishonesty or for liabilities which cannot lawfully be limited or excluded.
31. Where the Fee Quote is addressed to more than one client, the above limit of liability applies to the aggregate of all claims by all such clients and not separately to each client.
  
  Indemnities
32. You agree to indemnify us against all costs, claims, charges and expenses which we shall incur by reason of (but not limited to):
  (a) Use of any of our work for purposes other than those agreed by us.
  (b) Misrepresentation by you or with your authority to third parties of advice given by us.
  (c) Misrepresentation to third parties of the extent of our involvement in any particular project.
33. You undertake to indemnify us against all costs, claims, charges and expenses of whatever nature which may arise as a result of any such information proving to be inaccurate (whether wholly or in part) or incomplete.
  
  Closing your file
34. After completion of your matter and payment of our invoice, your file will be closed and stored in archive
35. Unless you instructed otherwise, we shall archive your file for 6yrs, after which you agree that we may destroy papers or documents.
  
  Law and Jurisdiction
36. These terms of business are subject to the laws of England and Wales. Any dispute or legal issue shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Should a court rule that any clause within these Terms are invalid/unenforceable this will not affect the validity of the rest of the Terms, which will remain in force.