Lesson 8 – Incident Reporting, Near Misses and Business Continuity

8.1 What should be reported?

Employees should report:

• Fires;
• Smoke;
• Alarm activations;
• Carbon-monoxide alarm activations;
• False alarms;
• Near misses;
• Blocked escape routes;
• Damaged fire doors;
• Missing signs;
• Defective emergency lighting;
• Defective alarms;
• Misuse of extinguishers;
• Unsafe electrical equipment;
• Unauthorised heaters;
• Unsafe storage;
• Interference with safety equipment; and
• Failures during drills.

8.2 What is a near miss?

A near miss is an event that did not cause injury or serious damage but could reasonably have done so.

Examples include:

• Paper left against a heater;
• An electrical cable beginning to smoke;
• An escape door found locked;
• A fire door wedged open;
• A burning smell from an appliance;
• A charger overheating;
• A fire alarm failing during a test;
• A blocked corridor discovered before an emergency; or
• A contractor generating sparks near combustible material.

Near misses provide an opportunity to prevent a future fire.

8.3 False alarms

A false alarm should not simply be dismissed.

Management should identify:

• What activated the system;
• Whether there was malicious activation;
• Whether a detector is faulty;
• Whether building work affected the system;
• Whether procedures were followed;
• Whether evacuation was effective; and
• Whether maintenance or further training is required.

Employees should still evacuate when an alarm sounds unless they have been clearly notified that it is a scheduled test.

8.4 Incident records

The record should include:

• Date and time;
• Location;
• Person reporting;
• What was seen or heard;
• How the alarm was raised;
• Whether 999 was called;
• Evacuation details;
• Injuries;
• Known damage;
• Emergency-service attendance;
• Missing or unaccounted-for people;
• Equipment used;
• Relevant witness details;
• Immediate actions;
• Defects discovered; and
• Follow-up action.

8.5 Preserving evidence

After a fire or serious incident:

• Do not disturb the area unnecessarily;
• Do not dispose of damaged equipment without authority;
• Preserve relevant CCTV;
• Preserve alarm and access-control records;
• Retain contractor records;
• Keep communication logs;
• Record photographs only when authorised and safe; and
• Follow instructions from emergency services or insurers.

8.6 Business-continuity arrangements

MyEstate’s business-continuity plan should address:

• Temporary office closure;
• Alternative premises;
• Remote working;
• Staff and customer communications;
• Telephone redirection;
• Protection of client information;
• Access to essential systems;
• Key custody;
• Contractor access;
• Property emergencies;
• Rent and client-money processing;
• Insurance notification;
• Data backup; and
• Recovery of critical operations.

8.7 Emergency contacts

Emergency information should include appropriate details for:

• Fire and rescue services;
• Police;
• Ambulance;
• Building management;
• The responsible person;
• Senior management;
• Alarm maintenance;
• Electrical contractors;
• Gas emergency services;
• Insurers;
• IT support;
• Security providers; and
• Emergency property contractors.

Contact lists should be kept current and accessible during an office closure.

8.8 Management review

Following a fire, alarm activation or serious near miss, management should consider:

• Did the alarm operate correctly?
• Did staff evacuate promptly?
• Were exits clear?
• Were visitors accounted for?
• Did anyone attempt to re-enter?
• Were disabled people supported appropriately?
• Were emergency services called promptly?
• Did staff know the assembly point?
• Were fire doors working?
• Does the risk assessment require review?
• Is further training required?
• Are disciplinary or contractor-management actions necessary?
• Does the business-continuity plan need to be activated?

Lesson 8 key point

Reporting fires, false alarms and near misses allows MyEstate to correct failures before another emergency occurs.