Arson – what is the risk to your business?

Arson! The criminal act of deliberate fire setting is surprisingly one of the biggest fire risks to your business premises. These acts can be planned from a disgruntled ex-employee, an unhappy customer or a business rival to random fire setting during a civil disturbance. In 2014 there were 1260 acts of deliberate fire setting in Northern Ireland (NIFRS 2014) https://www.nifrs.org/statistics/key-performance-indicators/

However, there are simple things that can be done to protect your business from an arson attack;

Firstly, is carrying out the fire risk assessment to identify who is at risk from

an attack and the likelihood of this happening. The risk to an 9-5 office is different than that of a hotel!

Next, review the security of the site from the outer fence / access areas to prevent unwanted intruders. Good lighting, fences and locked gates are a good start. CCTV, Roller shutters and an intruder alarm are also good deterrents! Don’t forget to put up signs to let the potential arsonists know you have CCTV.

Limit the materials outside that can be used by an arsonist. Ensure the bins are secured away from the building, rubbish is moved away and skips are located more than 10 metres from the premises. Limiting the availability of flammable material will nearly eliminate the chance arsonist in one go!

Lastly, brief staff of the arson risk and the measures that have been put in place to reduce the risk!

These measures will not cost the business an excessive financial outlay but there will be some cost for CCTV and roller shutters. These costs can offset insurance costs and hopefully prevent damage to the business operations.

Get in touch with one of the team if you need further fire safety advise or this or any other fire safety topic

Video courtesy of ITV News 2019