The consequences of faulty fire protection systems cannot be ignored. The potential loss of life, property and more from a fire can be devastating. We hear the stories on the news, but this is a reality for some businesses. If the worst should happen, you would likely look to your business insurance, but will your policy payout?
Will your insurer be there for you?
Let’s be honest; how many facilities professionals get to see let alone read the small print in insurance documents? We might look at the overall policy, tick the boxes for cover and the finance team process the necessary paperwork. That’s if you have any involvement in the policy selection at all. However, when there is a need for a claim, we check the fine print very carefully indeed.
Your commercial buildings insurance should pay for damage to your business buildings caused by fire, lightning, flooding and even earthquakes. However, there are situations when the insurer is within their rights to refuse to pay. Would you, the building manager or facilities maintenance manager be responsible for that?
Take, for example, if you are required to have a working sprinkler system. In the event of a fire, the sprinklers may not protect your stock and building contents from water damage, but it will stop the spread of fire. Effective sprinklers are highly likely to reduce the building damage and therefore remedial costs considerably.
If your sprinkler system has not been maintained and fails to work, the insurer could use that as a justifiable reason for not paying.
Fire dampers are as crucial as a sprinkler system
A sprinkler system is visible. Every day you can see those little nozzles poking through the ceiling. It’s impossible to ignore them, especially if you know some maintenance is needed. Fire dampers are hidden away in your ductwork, but out of sight should not mean out of mind.
Maintaining fire dampers should be an annual task – as a minimum. Inspections and testing should be carried out more frequently if you’re working in a highly polluted environment. But the testing process doesn’t stop there.
Inspecting and testing alone is not enough
Any remedial works highlighted are as important, if not more so than the inspection and testing process. To be compliant, you need to complete all tasks necessary to ensure that every damper operates as expected.
I continue to be shocked at sites where my team carries out work for a new client, only to find that previously tested dampers are either inaccessible or inoperable. On occasion, the responsible person at that site is aware remedial works are needed but has failed to take action.
Please hear me when I say – knowingly being in breach of the Fire Saefy legislation could be the reason an insurer fails to pay a claim.
What if that claim is a make-or-break situation?
If a fire destroyed your stock and building, could the business recover? How quickly could your disaster recovery plan swing into action to get production up and running and service levels back to ‘businesses as usual’? Will you suffer longterm from lost revenue and diminishing customer goodwill?
I’m not looking to scaremonger, but this is a harsh reality. It is a real situation for some businesses. Regrouping after a catastrophe is hard enough, but without the funds from a valid insurance claim, it would be a tall order.
Will we follow our colleagues in Australia?
Chatting to a colleague on LinkedIn earlier this month, I wasn’t surprised to hear that they also inspect sites where remedial works have not been carried out. He explained to me that the Fire Protection Association in Australia is employing independent assessors to confirm compliance and reporting to local councils or building authorities. If a business is found to be non-compliant, they invalidate their insurance immediately. I don’t think it will be long before the UK follow suit.
What priority do you give remedial works?
If you’re a building manager or facilities professional, how do you manage your remedial works? Does your current contractor offer this as part of a one-stop solution? Join in the conversation on LinkedIn.
