The value of early safety advice on your project

Often we find we’re called in quite late during a new venture, when finishing touches are being put in place. However, treating fire and health and safety compliance as one of these ‘finishing touches’ may not be the best approach.

We’ve recently had some new clients who have asked for early advice on fire safety for their hospitality businesses and this pays dividends. For example:

• Fire doors will almost always require intumescent* and smoke seals and the best time to install these is during installation of the frame and door set. This often gets missed during a refurbishment and fixing the omission is annoying when everything is neat and tidy. (*An intumescent product is one designed to expand and set on the application of extreme heat, sealing a gap, in this case, the space between the door and frame).

• Smoke and heat detection needs to be correctly specified. Getting it right from the start will avoid damage to finished surfaces later in the project.

• You may require emergency lighting. If you do, it’s best installed long before the paint’s dried and you may need some input on the type of units to use and their location.

• If you want smart bespoke signage there will be a lead time for delivery. If you ask us for a fire risk assessment at an early stage we can draft your signage for you and give you a detailed plan of where to put it.

• You may need to enclose fire hazards, such as distribution boards, within fire resistant enclosures, specify fire resistant fabrics, and plan for the location of fire extinguishers. All of these are further examples of issues which cause a right hassle if you only find out within days of opening!

There’s no doubt that architects and skilled trades are also able to pick up on some of these points. But depending on the level of input from your architect and the knowledge of trades you employ, there may be a gap between the advice they provide and the recommendations we make as your fire, and health and safety, advisor.

And although fire safety changes probably cause the most work after the event, it’s also worthwhile having early input on general health and safety risks and water hygiene, to cover all the bases.

If you’re planning a new build or a refurbishment, or you’re ready to bite the bullet and get your health and safety documentation in order, get in touch. We’ll be delighted to help with your fire, general or legionella risk assessments, along with policies, procedures, training etc.