Fire Risk Assessments for Factories and Warehouses: What businesses Need to Know

Factories and warehouses can present very different fire risks from relatively straightforward offices or commercial premises.

Machinery, electrical equipment, manufacturing processes, packaging, high-level storage, vehicles, hot work and dangerous substances can all influence how a fire could start, spread and affect people.

A fire risk assessment for a factory or warehouse therefore needs to reflect the actual premises and operations rather than relying on a generic checklist.

For a broader explanation of the process, read our guide to what a fire risk assessment is and the five steps involved.

What Should a Factory Fire Risk Assessment Consider?

The fundamental principles of fire risk assessment remain the same: identify fire hazards, identify people at risk, evaluate and control those risks, record and plan, and keep the assessment under review.

However, industrial environments can require a deeper understanding of the activities being undertaken.

Some important areas to consider include the following.

Machinery and Equipment

Manufacturing machinery can introduce potential ignition sources through electrical faults, overheating, friction, hot surfaces or sparks.

The assessment should therefore consider the machinery present and how it interacts with combustible materials and the surrounding environment.

Maintenance is also important. Equipment that is poorly maintained, contaminated or operating outside its intended conditions may present different risks from properly maintained machinery.

Changes to production equipment should consequently be considered when reviewing the fire risk assessment.

If machinery, processes or other significant circumstances have changed, read our guide explaining when a fire risk assessment should be reviewed.

Flammable and Dangerous Substances

Factories and warehouses may store or use paints, solvents, fuels, gases, aerosols, adhesives and other flammable substances.

The assessment should consider their presence when evaluating the wider fire precautions for the premises.

However, businesses should recognise the distinction between a general fire risk assessment and a DSEAR assessment.

Where dangerous substances can create risks from fire, explosion or similar energetic events, a separate DSEAR assessment may be required.

That assessment can involve more detailed consideration of releases, ignition sources, ventilation, explosive atmospheres and engineering controls.

A fire risk assessment does not automatically provide that level of analysis.

Where substances also create potential health risks through inhalation, skin contact or other forms of exposure, separate COSHH assessments may be required.

Combustible Materials and Storage

Warehouses in particular may contain substantial quantities of combustible stock and packaging.

Cardboard, plastics, timber, pallets and other materials can increase the potential fire load and influence how quickly a fire might develop.

The assessment should therefore consider what is being stored, where it is stored and its relationship with potential ignition sources and fire precautions.

Housekeeping and waste management also matter.

Accumulations of packaging, production waste or combustible materials can create avoidable hazards and may obstruct escape routes or access to fire-safety equipment.

Hot Work

Welding, flame cutting, grinding and other hot-work activities can introduce significant ignition sources.

Sparks and hot particles can travel beyond the immediate work area and ignite combustible materials that may not appear to be directly exposed.

Where hot work is undertaken, businesses should consider the controls surrounding the activity, including how temporary hot work by contractors is managed.

Combustible Dust

Some manufacturing processes generate fine combustible dust.

Depending on the material and conditions, dispersed combustible dust can create both fire and explosion hazards.

Examples can arise in operations involving wood, food products, metals, plastics and other materials.

Where combustible dust could create an explosive atmosphere, this goes beyond the scope of a straightforward fire risk assessment and may require specialist DSEAR consideration.

Battery Charging and Electrical Equipment

Industrial premises can contain significant electrical infrastructure as well as charging areas for equipment such as forklift trucks and other battery-powered machinery.

The assessment should consider electrical ignition sources, equipment condition, charging arrangements and the surrounding environment.

New battery technologies and changes to charging arrangements should also be considered when reviewing workplace fire risks.

People and Evacuation

Industrial premises can create particular evacuation challenges.

Employees may work around noisy machinery, in isolated areas, on mezzanines, in warehouses or in locations where they cannot immediately hear a conventional alarm.

Contractors and visiting drivers may also be unfamiliar with the building.

The fire risk assessment should therefore consider not only the number of people present but where they work, how they would become aware of a fire and whether they can reach a suitable place of safety.

Shift patterns can also be relevant because staffing and supervision may differ significantly between daytime and night operations.

Fire Detection, Warning and Escape

The suitability of fire detection and warning arrangements depends on the premises and risks.

A large or noisy manufacturing environment may require different considerations from a small workshop.

Escape arrangements should similarly reflect the building layout, travel distances, occupancy and hazards that could affect available routes.

The assessment should consider whether existing arrangements remain appropriate rather than assuming that their presence alone makes them adequate.

Firefighting Equipment and Other Precautions

Fire extinguishers and other firefighting provisions may form part of the overall fire-safety arrangements.

However, a fire risk assessment should not be confused with specialist inspection, servicing or certification of individual systems.

The assessment considers the adequacy of fire precautions within its agreed scope. Separate inspection or maintenance regimes may still be required for alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire doors and other systems.

Fire Risk Assessment and DSEAR

The relationship between fire risk assessment and DSEAR is particularly important for manufacturing and engineering businesses.

A fire risk assessment looks at dangerous substances as part of the wider fire-safety arrangements for the premises.

DSEAR specifically addresses risks arising from dangerous substances that can cause fires, explosions and certain other harmful energetic events.

Businesses using flammable liquids, gases, aerosols or processes producing combustible dust should therefore consider whether a specialist DSEAR assessment is also required.

COSHH assessments and safety data sheets can provide useful information about substances present, but COSHH and DSEAR address different types of risk.

For organisations dealing with both workplace exposure and fire or explosion hazards, Spiers can coordinate COSHH and DSEAR assessment requirements alongside wider fire-safety support.

When Should an Industrial Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?

Industrial environments can change frequently, so keeping the assessment current is particularly important.

A review may be necessary following:

• Installation of new machinery
• Changes to manufaturing processes
• Changes to the building or layout
• Introduction of new substances
• Increased quantities of flammable materials
• Changes to storage arrangements
• Significant changes in occupancy
• A firre or near miss
• Failure of existing fire precautions

Businesses should therefore integrate fire-risk-assessment reviews into their wider management-of-change processes.

For more detail on review frequency and trigger events, see how often a fire risk assessment should be reviewed.

Fire Risk Assessments for Industrial Premises

An effective factory or warehouse fire risk assessment needs to reflect what actually happens on the site.

That means understanding the interaction between the building, people, machinery, materials, processes and fire precautions.

For industrial businesses, this can also mean recognising when a fire-safety issue overlaps with more specialist requirements such as DSEAR or COSHH.

Spiers Engineering Safety coordinates fire risk assessments for factories, warehouses and other industrial premises.

We can also coordinate connected requirements across fire risk assessment, COSHH, DSEAR and machinery safety, helping organisations take a more joined-up approach to workplace risk.