Fire Alarm Testing – Keeping The Workplace Safe
It is paramount you have regular fire alarm testing and servicing to safeguard your business and ensure your legal responsibilities are being met.
Take your car for example – it has probably become second nature to keep your car safe and in tip-top working order with a regular service. Fail to do this and the car will eventually fall into disrepair and cost you more money in the long term, endangering your life and putting your passengers’ lives at risk in the process. The same approach should be applied to your business fire detection system.
The difference with fire alarm servicing is that it is a legal requirement, under the ‘Regulatory Reform Act 2005′. If you have a business, which employs five or more people including part-time staff (or visiting members of the general public), you have an obligation to keep them safe in the event of a fire. No one is exempt, all companies, individuals and organisations have to abide by this law and responsibly maintain their fire protection system to the highest standard.
Legislation requires you to have your system checked on a regular basis therefore it makes sense to take out an annual service contract. In accordance with the minimum requirements, such contracts should include bi-annual fire alarm testing and all servicing carried out to BS5839. It is this British Standard that governs this type of service and is also the standard which leading insurance companies expect you to comply with. If you do not have adequate fire protection and detection capabilities in place, you will not be eligible for business insurance. It’s as simple as that.
When a specialised engineer visits to carry out the fire alarm testing, they will ensure your fire system is operational. Checks include, but are not limited to, ensuring that fifty percent of the detection devices are fully functional, all call-points and sounders are engaged and checks on internal batteries too.
Most fire alarm servicing and testing specialists offer an optional 24-hour call-out service, so you can be safe in the knowledge that if any emergencies arise, such as like locked out fire panels or if your detection and sounder devices need resetting, these problems can be rectified immediately. So it’s not just fire alarm testing and servicing you can benefit from.