It is worth noting that there is one chapter dedicated entirely to the subject of arson, and this is probably reasonable when you read in the text that 50 per cent of fires in commercial, industrial and public premises are started deliberately. So, any safety practitioners setting about a fire risk assessment should bear in mind this statistic when considering the ‘likelihood’ element of their fire risk evaluation. Also, practitioners employed by businesses that have experienced an arson attack may be alarmed to read that 80 per cent of such businesses go bankrupt within five years of the arson attack!
There is a number of headline extracts in the book, giving real-life examples of fires that have led to loss of life, damage to businesses, and breaches of legislation. Although these help demonstrate the relevance of the content, they may cause the current edition to become dated, as other headlines arise.
So can the book really help employers carry out fire risk assessment? Looking at the chapter on fire risk assessment, the book takes a clear approach to the process and provides some suggestions on layout and recording of the risk assessment. It then provides a lengthy checklist, covering a range of fire safety-related issues. Unfortunately, however, the book isn’t clear about how the reader should relate this information to the conclusions of their risk assessment, so some employers could form the view that completing the checklist is the risk assessment itself.
Perhaps the most useful information is in the chapter on fire safety management. This covers the practical day-to-day issues, such as fire alarms, fire detection, storage of flammable liquids, consideration of disabled employees, etc.
However, from my experience, useful and practical advice can be more easily gained from the range of industry-specific guides published by the Home Office. They contain all the relevant information and practical advice on risk assessment and appropriate control measures specific to that sector. Therefore, employers may find buying one or two of these guides, for around the same price of this book, a better option.
Students on the NEBOSH Fire Certificate course would find this publication a helpful background read but not really a must-have publication.
Controlling fire hazards
Author: Norman Thomson
Published by NGT Publishing Ltd
Price: £19
ISBN: 978 0 9554293 4 7
pp100
Reviewed by: Rowena Jackson
