PBC Today outlines how the BAFE SP205 UKAS accredited certification scheme can increase business for those offering fire risk assessment services…
The SSAIB’s BAFE SP205 UKAS accredited certification scheme enables anyone who is required by law to carry out a fire risk assessment of a premises, and who employs a specialist third party company to provide this, to demonstrate that they’ve taken the necessary reasonable steps to comply with their legal obligations and requirements under fire safety legislation.
Last year, the SSAIB Chief Executive, Geoff Tate explained to PBC Today what the scheme means to customers and certificated service providers alike. In explaining BAFE’s objective, he said that they want “to bring a single registration scheme to market for each fire protection product or service for which third party certification is considered appropriate, and life safety fire risk assessment is one of the most recently introduced of these.”
Obviously, anyone carrying out a fire risk assessment must be competent and have received appropriate specialist training, but whilst the assessor has a duty of care to the organisation involved, the ultimate responsibility for the adequacy of the fire risk assessment rests with the duty holder (normally a company) or responsible person. This follows a change in fire safety law with the introduction, in October 2006, of the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005.
Given these circumstances, BAFE’s SP205 UKAS accredited certification scheme enables those responsible, and required under law to carry out a fire risk assessment of a premises, to employ a specialist third party company to provide this. Taking such a step will allow them to demonstrate that they’ve taken the necessary reasonable action to comply with their legal obligations and requirements under fire safety legislation.
Geoff Tate went on to say that:
“Besides those responsible for carrying out such an assessment, the new independent third party certification service offered by SSAIB and others will also benefit fire risk assessment providers, who’ll be able to use their accreditation to attract end user customers. Certification provides a benchmark recognition of a company’s capability in providing high quality fire risk assessments – by showing that they have the required technical and quality management competency, and that their assessors possess the relevant proficiency and knowledge.”
Achieving SP205 certification offers accredited providers with a significant marketing tool by enabling them to display a valuable certification mark (including the ‘crown and tick’ logo). Tate went on to explain that:
“At SSAIB we’ve invested time and resources in achieving this UKAS accredited approval, so that end users with responsibilities under the law can rest assured that risk assessment service providers holding certification approval will provide fire risk assessments that fully comply with the law.” ■
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PBC Today
editorial@adjacentgovernment.co.uk
