Part 2 of this guide highlights the items that should be maintained and tested to ensure that the safety features, put in place following the risk assessment, are in the right location and function correctly when required. This section looks at what should be done to ensure that equipment and systems will be effective when needed.

Any electrical fire detection and fire warning systems must be kept switched on when the workplace is in use. This also applies to systems which are remotely monitored, when the workplace is unoccupied. In other cases, it is advisable to keep them turned on, even when the workplace is not in use.

All equipment provided to safeguard the safety of employees in the workplace, eg fire doors and fire-fighting equipment, should be regularly checked and maintained by a competent person in accordance with the relevant British Standard (see the References section) and the manufacturer's recommendations.

It is advisable to keep a record of any maintenance and testing of equipment, as this will be useful if you are asked by the fire authority to demonstrate that you have an effective system in place. (You must do this if your premises are covered by a fire certificate.)

It is also good practice for employers and employees to carry out routine checks on a daily basis. This would include checking that:

the control panel shows that all electrical fire detection and alarm systems are operating normally, or ensuring that any faults indicated are recorded and dealt with;

all emergency lighting systems that include signs are lit and any defects recorded and dealt with;

all escape routes, including passageways, corridors, stairways and external routes, are clear of obstruction, free of slipping and tripping hazards and available for use when the premises are occupied;

all fastenings on doors along escape routes operate freely, so that they can be opened quickly in an emergency without delay;

all self-closing devices and automatic door holders/releases work correctly, and that each door closes completely (this check should include a look at any fitted flexible edge seals, to ensure that they can still provide an effective smoke seal);

all exit and directional signs are checked to make sure that they are correctly positioned and can be clearly seen at all times; and

all fire extinguishers are in position, have not been discharged, are at the correct pressure and have not suffered any obvious damage.

Any defects should be reported in line with your own procedures and repaired as soon as possible.

Maintenance and service schedules for fire protection equipment should comply with the relevant British Standard (see the References section) and the manufacturer's instructions. The following paragraphs give an indication of the levels of service required.

All manually operated fire alarms, such as rotary gongs, should be tested weekly to ensure that they work and can still be heard throughout the workplace.

Electrical fire detection and fire warning systems should be tested weekly for function and to check whether they can be heard throughout the area covered. Make sure they can be seen or heard, particularly by disabled people, and that voice alarms can be understood. They should also be inspected and tested, quarterly and annually, by a competent person.

Self-contained, domestic-type smoke alarms should be tested weekly and cleaned annually. Replaceable batteries should be changed at least once a year (except for extended life batteries where the manufacturer's recommendations should be followed) or when the low battery warning device operates.

Basic inspection procedures for portable extinguishers should be carried out on a weekly basis and should include:

checking the safety clip and indicating devices to determine whether the extinguisher has been operated; and

checking the extinguisher for any external corrosion, dents or other damage that could impair the safe operation of the extinguisher.

As well as this, servicing should be carried out by a competent person as follows:

basic annual service;

extended service every five years (see table on page 66); and

overhaul/replacement every 20 years.

Hose reels should be checked weekly to make sure that they are not damaged or obstructed. They should be serviced annually by a competent person.

Table of extended service procedure to be used by a competent person

Where automatic sprinklers or other fixed fire-fighting systems are installed, they should be tested in accordance with the manufacturer's/installer's specifications (this test does not mean activating the sprinkler head(s) to see if water flows from the system). They should also be serviced annually by a competent person.

Systems employing high-pressure gas storage cylinders, for example carbon dioxide-based systems, should be maintained and inspected by a competent person.

Where portable items such as lamps, torches and radios are to be used as part of the fire precautions for the workplace, it is important to ensure that they are appropriate and suitable for the purpose. Additionally, if they may be used in a potentially explosive atmosphere, they should comply with appropriate standards and certification.

A named individual should be nominated as responsible for the equipment, and you should have a system in place to check that the equipment is available and operates correctly. This check should be carried out daily, or at the beginning of each shift. You should also operate a fault-recording and repair system. A sufficient number of spare torches and radios and their batteries should be readily available to replace any that are found to be faulty.

Automatic emergency escape lighting equipment should be inspected by a competent person monthly, six-monthly and three-yearly, in accordance with the schedules set out in the relevant British Standard and the manufacturer's recommendations.

Where the design of the building incorporates smoke control systems to protect life, the system should be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the relevant British Standard.

Fire protection products and related services should be fit for their purpose and properly installed and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions or the relevant British Standard.

Third-party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective means of providing the fullest possible assurances, offering a level of quality, reliability and safety that non-certificated products may lack. This does not mean goods and services that are not third-party-approved are less reliable, but there is no obvious way in which this can be demonstrated.

Third-party quality assurance can offer great comfort to employers, both as a means of satisfying you that the goods and services you have purchased are fit for purpose, and as a means of demonstrating that you have complied with the law.

Your local fire authority can provide further details about independent third-party quality assurance schemes and the various organisations that administer them.

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