How Often Do Staff Require Fire Training?

When managing a business, one of the most important responsibilities you have is ensuring your staff are properly trained in fire safety. Fire can spread quickly and cause extensive damage, so having regular training for all employees is essential to reducing any potential risks and protecting both staff safety and property.

Making sure that your employees know what to do in the event of an emergency is vital. This places great emphasis on preparing for the worst, particularly when it comes to fire.

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The business owner or employer is what is known as “the responsible person” for fire safety in the workplace.

As the responsible person one of your duties – as defined by the  Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 - is to “provide clear, appropriate information and instruction (and training where necessary) to your employees”.

While it’s clear your responsibilities include training employees there are actually no set guidelines for what this entails, who it’s necessarily for nor how often it should occur.

UK Government Guidance

Although the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 may be ambiguous, the UK government’s stance regarding training is more specific, stating; “You need to train new staff when they start work and tell all employees about any new fire risks. You should carry out at least one fire drill per year and record the results. You must keep the results as part of your fire safety and evacuation plan.”

Fire Wardens and Responsible Staff

Depending on the size of the business you may need to appoint one or multiple fire wardens who will have specific responsibilities assisting with fire safety in an emergency. As your business grows you may even need to appoint and train multiple fire wardens.

Those employees within the workplace tasked with additional responsibilities, including department heads or staff who look after vulnerable people, may have a need for more regular training.

Industry Specific Guidance

Certain industries, the care and hospitality sectors among them, need to perform fire training and drills at least twice a year due to the level of risk and responsibility for staff, guests, and residents.

There may also be a requirement for training in more specific areas of fire safety, depending on the nature of the business. Restaurant staff, for example, need to be informed of the fire risks associated with cooking equipment. Similarly, laundry workers must be aware of techniques to avoid laundry fires…

Additional Fire Risks

Any time new equipment or tools are purchased for the business that may produce a fire, this should coincide with renewed fire training, with all staff brought up to speed.

If your workplace is having repeated fire safety incidents, or the same accident keeps occurring, you will need to ensure employees are made aware of these specific fire risks during their training. You may also want to consider a fire risk assessment for recurring problems.

Staff should be trained once per year as an absolute minimum, with additional training depending on their role, the nature of the business, and any specific fire risks throughout the workplace.

Red Box Fire Control can provide your employees with the appropriate training they need. Find out which courses we offer on our website or contact us today for more information.