Is Your Commercial Site Compliant with Fire Safety Laws?
As a commercial site owner or manager, you have numerous responsibilities. Needless to say, fire safety is at the top of that list. It’s vitally important that your property has the right equipment, fire certificates and processes in place to eliminate or reduce the risk of fire for employees or tenants.
Not least because anyone found to be breaching the rules could face a fine of up to $2,880 – or up to $7,000 for a second offence. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the criteria your commercial site needs to meet to stay compliant.
Fire Safety Act
The Bermuda Fire Safety Act 2014 outlines the fire safety requirements for premises that are used as a workplace or as commercial premises, as well as those used:
- For purposes of entertainment
- For purposes of a victualling establishment
- For purposes of education
- For purposes of storage of goods
Fire certificate
First and foremost, it states that a fire certificate is required for any of the sites listed above. Without a valid fire certificate authorising it, the premises simply mustn’t be used.
When applying for a fire certificate, you will need to specify the use of the premises and provide all relevant fire safety information connected with it. It’s then up to the Chief Fire Officer to grant a fire certificate without conditions, grant a fire certificate with conditions or refuse to grant the fire certificate.
The fire certificate will contain the name of the premises, any businesses operating there and the person responsible, along with the address, use or uses of the premises, conditions and expiry date of the certificate – which can be anywhere up to five years.
Conditions for a fire certificate
Here’s the important part. Your fire certificate will have a number of conditions, which your property must meet to stay compliant. This may include:
- The means of escape in the event of fire is adequate, properly maintained and kept free from obstruction
- A specified type, number and location of:
- fire alarm and detection equipment
- fire protection equipment
- fire safety information for people in or on the premises in the event of fire
- Appropriate instruction or training for what people in or on the premises should do in the event of fire with records kept of any instruction or training.
- A limit on the number of people allowed in or on the premises at any one time
Is your property compliant?
If you want to make sure your property’s fire safety is up to scratch before applying for or renewing your fire certificate, the team at Selectron can provide a comprehensive Building Report for your commercial site. We’ll make sure everything is correctly installed and working in compliance with local regulations, recommending any areas where changes are needed.
Alternatively, our team can install specific fire alarms or smoke detectors as recommended by the Chief Fire Officer. We provide a range of state-of-the-art wired and wireless smoke alarms that can be installed independently or tied into an existing system.
Make Your Home Safer
Get in touch with our expert team by calling +1 441 236 4181
Recommended Posts
How Much Does Water Damage Restoration Cost?
07/10/2024