Fire safety in factories and warehouses

Factories and warehouses are subject to general and unique fire risks. The nature of the work and materials involved may mean a greater chance of certain types of fire, requiring appropriate action to comply with current legislation and protect lives. Here, we provide a comprehensive guide to fire safety in factories and warehouses, discussing fire regulations, the responsible person and their responsibilities, and the importance of conducting a fire risk assessment.

What are the fire safety regulations for factories and warehouses?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) is designed to provide a minimum standard for fire safety across non-domestic premises. In workplaces, including factories and warehouses, it requires the appointment of a ‘responsible person’ to assess, implement and maintain fire safety, both on a regular and reactive basis.

Factories and warehouses may use or store materials and perform certain practises which could increase the risk of fires, making it vital for thorough fire safety checks. In order to protect the lives of employees and visitors, factories and warehouses must adhere to current legislation. For example, the BS 5306 states that a person should never be more than 30 metres away from an appropriate fire extinguisher, wherever they are on the premises. Buildings must also provide a clear and unobstructed fire exit route and fire assembly point and use adequate signage to highlight fire extinguisher information, fire safety risks, correct behaviours, and direct people to the designated exit route.

Who is the responsible person?

The responsible person of a factory or warehouse could be an owner, manager or employer but they must be specified. This means that a responsible person must be registered as such and accountable for fire safety in the premises.

What are the responsibilities of the responsible person?

While there are general fire safety precautions which all responsible persons will encounter, there are a number of additional, environment-specific fire safety risks they must also consider.

The responsible person oversees precautionary measures and equipment put in place to minimise fire risks, reduce the spread of fire and smoke in the event of a fire, and provide safe means of evacuation. This means installing fire doors and other fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers and alarms, providing emergency lighting, a safe exit route and fire assembly point (a fire assembly point must be twice the distance of the height of a building to reduce the risk of injury by falling debris). While the installation of some general fire safety measures (such as signage) can be carried out by the responsible person, fire extinguisher servicing and maintenance must be performed to a satisfactory standard by a certified and competent professional. 

Depending on the environment, building type, and work being conducted, the responsible person in a warehouse or factory must also consider fire risks specific to that setting. For example, factories and warehouses may store flammable gases, unlike many other workplaces. In this case, it is the responsible person’s role to identify the fire risks here and implement the placing of necessary equipment and delivery of procedures, such as installing the correct types of fire extinguisher. This involves a crucial part of the responsible person’s role – the fire risk assessment.

Identifying hazards and implementing preventative measures

A fire risk assessment is undertaken by the responsible person to identify fire hazards so they can implement suitable measures to comply with current legislation and reduce the likelihood or impact of the risk. The fire risk assessment is one of the most important parts of the responsible person’s role. There are many risks for factories and warehouses that must be considered when performing a fire risk assessment, including:

• Processes involving flammable substances
• Discarded smoking materials
• Misuse or faults of electrical appliances
• Appliances or cooking performed in workplace kitchenettes
• Storage of flammable or combustible materials
• Work involving gas torches, angle grinders and similar heavy machinery and equipment

Factories and warehouses require a thorough risk assessment and safety measures to limit the likelihood and impact of these fires occurring.

For example, the responsible person for a fabrication factory could identify the storage of wood as a potential fire risk. In response to that risk, they would implement preventative procedures whereby work involving potential sources of ignition are performed away from the storage and that nearby electrical appliances are regularly tested for faults. This minimises the likelihood of a fire occurring from the stored materials. However, if the storage area was to catch fire, there must also be appropriate fire safety equipment and clear procedures to follow in place to reduce the impact of that fire. As a result, the responsible person would ensure that fire extinguishers suitable for Class A fires (involving combustible materials), such as foam, water, etc, are installed in the factory and that all fire extinguishers are annually serviced. As well as this, the responsible person would need to assess the fire exit route to ensure it does not pass through an area likely to affected by the fire. While this isn’t an exhaustive list of actions or safety measures required by a responsible person in this setting, it does give an idea of how thorough a factory’s risk assessment must be.

Maintenance and servicing

The responsible person is also responsible for maintaining fire safety on their premises by ensuring regular inspections and adjusting measures accordingly. For example, they must schedule and ensure annual fire extinguisher services by a trained technician, and take any recommended action from the service. Fire detection methods are also extremely important to review and implement in warehouses and factories. These environments are often noisy, given the nature of machine work. This poses a problem when raising the alarm in the event of a fire. A high decibel alarm with bright LED strobe, such as the Commander Alert Site Alarm, is essential for ensuring people inside a factory are made aware of a fire. It is recommended that fire alarms are tested weekly and provisions must be made for people or locations where any alarm cannot be heard.

Take a look at the government’s guidance on fire risk assessments for factories and warehouses, and bookmark CheckFire’s resource centre for regular updates on fire safety law and industry insights.