UK Fire Safety Regulations recommend that commercial fire alarms are manually tested weekly, ensuring a new point of call has been tested each week.
The purpose of this weekly testing is to ensure that each and every alarm is working correctly and that the alarms sound. It is legally required that a professional inspection of the alarms and system be carried out at least once a year although generally it is highly recommended this is done every 6 months instead.
What are the benefits of commercial fire alarm testing?
Commercial fire alarm systems are responsible for the safety of large numbers of staff, regular testing prevents a potentially fatal hazard occurring during a fire should there be an issue that hadn’t yet been discovered. By conducting regular inspections and testing this allows you to ensure you are legally compliant and prevents annoying issues such as a false alarm. Regular testing also means should there be a fault present, you have detected it early - rather than finding out there is a fault with the system during the imperative moment of a fire. Don’t get caught out by a fault that may not be visibly detected, often the most dangerous electrical faults aren’t the ones we can see, they’re usually happening internally, undetected. Just because something looks like it's working, doesn’t mean it actually is.
A great example of the kind of issues that can be uncovered is a job we recently completed at Bristol Business Park, this was a mid size commercial unit consisting of office and warehouse space. Upon our inspection we discovered that there was atmospheric damage to one of the detectors internal sensors and another that had been covered in the kitchen. Covering up sensors is extremely dangerous, a kitchen is already at high risk for fires - having the sensors covered up means the results of a fire could be devastating once caught too late.
Steps you should take to preserve the condition of your commercial fire alarm systems
Following these steps not only helps to preserve the reliability of your fire alarm systems but it also ensures your business is legally compliant under UK Fire Safety Regulations, these steps are in place to protect your business, staff and any potential customers visiting your premises.
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 it is a legal requirement that fire training is delivered to members of staff so that they both know how to carry out the weekly testing of the alarms and also how to react during the event of a fire and what steps need to be taken. The testing of alarms and assigned roles of fire marshalls can be designated to particular staff members.
Ensure commercial fire alarm testing is scheduled either every 6 months or annually, with a qualified engineer and ensure that accurate logs are being kept of all tests and inspections and their results. Here at EMC Electrical Group, when we carry out commercial fire alarm testing in Bristol we carry out an examination of each and every one of the fire alarm systems components such as the smoke detectors, manual call points, sirens and control panel. We will also carry out a visual inspection to check for potential signs of damage, or wear and tear as well as activating components of the system to check all is working as it should.
Book Commercial Fire Alarm Testing in Bristol
If you’d like to enquire about commercial fire alarm testing in Bristol, we would love to help you. EMC Electrical Group will work with you when it comes to the safety of your building and the people inside - safety is the biggest priority and we will ensure that not only is your commercial space space, it’s compliant too.
Either fill in our contact form or give us a call today, we’d love to hear from you.
