An effective self-inspection program will ensure that all protection systems are in proper working order and should be able to detect potential loss conditions and include a process for corrective action.
The inspection should be carried out by a responsible person, who has been provided with adequate training in recognizing potential fire loss conditions or fire protection deficiencies
The following points should be considered:
Inspections should take place weekly and take the form of a walk-through of all parts of the premises including yards etc. checking for abnormal or unusual conditions.
Inspections can be extended from weekly to monthly for less hazardous occupancies.
Inspections should be performed during normal working hours, as this allows the inspection to be undertaken whilst it is operational.
The findings of each inspection should be documented in the form of a report that is filed for future reference.
The report should be signed and dated by the person who completed it.
Each report should be reviewed by senior management in order that the findings can be reviewed and any action required taken.
The reports should be analyzed to identify any underlying causes, frequency of occurrence and costs of rectification. Simply correcting a reported defect over again is not the desired objective of a self-inspection program.
Any deficiencies highlighted in the report should be corrected with the minimum delay.
The deficiencies reported in the inspection report will probably be corrected through housekeeping or maintenance activities.
The monitoring of corrective actions can closely follow the processes associated with any other breakdown or emergency repair.
Once a deficiency has been cleared a simple report or a counter-signature of the original report by senior management is sufficient. This document should be kept on file for future audit purposes.
For further information, please contact your RMC Engineer