Trusted Pre-Occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment for London Bars, Restaurants, Pubs and Clubs

by Heather Hall Heather Hall has led the Coordinating team at LFRA

A Pre-occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment can save London Bars, Restaurants, Pubs and Clubs a fortune. It is better to know the Fire Safety deficiencies and limits to capacity before you commit to a premise rather than after the deal has been done!

In these challenging times opening a new Bar, Restaurant, Pub or Club is a risky business, so before you make a commitment why not invest in a Pre- occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

A Pre-occupation Fire Risk Assessment will outline all the deficiencies and provide you with the total number of people you can safety have in the premise. It is far better to understand how much you will have to spend to put the Fire Safety deficiencies right and to know if you will be able to get enough people through the door to make a profit!

The following is just an example of what is considered in a Pre-occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment

Means of Escape – Exits must be within accepted Travel Distances from all areas of the premise, particularly if you have different levels. For example, you must be able to reach the final exit from the furthest point of the basement area within the accepted Travel Distance outlined in relevant guidance. This will apply to all floors including mezzanine floors and garden/smoking areas too. Where premises contain provisions for the consumption of alcoholic beverages then a reduction in the Travel Distances of 25% might be advisable for particular parts of the premise.

Area Occupancy – By measuring the area occupancy it will give you the maximum number of persons who can be present in the Bar, Restaurant, Pub or Club. The maximum number of persons it is designed to hold can be calculated by dividing the available floor areas of the different parts of the premise in square metres by the appropriate floor space fact percentage of 0.3 square metre per person (Table 10 of BS9999).

Number of Escape Routes – Width of Doors, Corridors and Escape Routes must all be considered. Stairways, how many are there in the premise, are they protected, can they accommodate the downward and upward travel? Is there a protected exit passageway, route to a Final Exit?

These are just some of the factors that must be considered before you can confidently confirm the number of occupants for the premise. If the occupancy levels are not enough it may not be a viable business for you to take on.

London Fire Risk Assessments have recommended Pre-occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment to clients looking to open a new entertainment venue and over the years it has proven to save time and money. If you are thinking of investing in a new London Bar, Restaurant, Pub or Club then perhaps you should ask the Fire Safety professionals to inspect the premise for you.

London Fire Risk Assessments are completely independent of any supplies of Fire Protection Systems or Fire Safety Services companies therefore their advice is unbiased. They have been established for over 14 years and all their Fire Safety Risk Assessors have qualified with the Institution of Fire Engineers the Fire Protection Association and CS Todd Associates. They are also members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and the British Standards Association. They are fully insured, and all their Assessors are retired London Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officers. If you wish to contact London Fire Risk Assessments about a Pre-Occupation Fire Safety Risk Assessment then please ring 0781 8888626 or click here.