Business Security Checklist
- Thu 17 June, 2021
Please find below information from Store Street Gardai Station and Dublin Fire Brigade that may be of interest.
Retail Security Checklist
As retail premises open up again after Covid-19 restrictions it is even more important to ensure your premises is secure. Complete this checklist to determine how well your premises is secured.
Fire Department Checklist
In relation to Fire Safety, please be reminded of the below. Additionally, please be mindful of potential building insurance issues in relation to the storage of combustible materials and renovation of premises.
Escape Routes:
Combustible materials should not be stored on escape routes.
Escape routes from the premises should be kept clear, and available for use at all times.
Emergency Services Access:
A minimum clear roadway width is to be maintained at all times for Emergency Services Vehicle Access.
Access to fire hydrants is to be maintained at all times.
Heaters:
The use of portable LPG heaters is not permitted.
Heating appliances shall be:
Permanently piped gas heating in compliance with I.S. 820:2019.
Electric Heating (achieving a minimum IP Rating of IP55).
Infra-red Heating (achieving a minimum IP Rating of IP55).
Where heaters are located within, or directly in contact with an umbrella / awning used for outdoor seating, the umbrella / awning shall be:
Constructed of materials of limited combustibility.
Certified for use with an outdoor heater.
Heating appliances shall be located such that they do not block escape routes.
All outdoor heaters should comply with the relevant Irish Standards, should be installed by a competent person, and the installation should be certified, as required by the standard.
Furnishings and Fittings:
All furnishings and fittings in the outdoor seating area (including tables and chairs), are to comply with the Department of the Environment “Code of Practice for Fire Safety of Furnishings and Fittings in Places of Assembly”, and are to be non-combustible or constructed of material of limited combustibility.
Construction:
The use of untreated timber plinths and artificial grass is not permitted.
All floor coverings need to be certified as non-combustible, or constructed of materials of limited combustibility.
All outdoor seating area is to be constructed throughout of materials of limited combustibility. If the area is constructed of timber, the timber is required to be impregnated (as opposed to being treated with a surface painted fire retardant), to comply with Part B of the Building Regulations.
The owner may be required to apply for a Fire Safety Certificate if they materially alter, extend or change the use of part of their premises, to provide a permanent outdoor seating area.
Planting:
If planting is provided to the outdoor area, it is the responsibility of the owner / occupier to ensure that if they install outdoor heaters at a later stage, they are installed by a competent person and, the location of the heaters are sufficiently remote from the planting that the heaters don’t act as an ignition source for vegetation.
Planted green walls, floors and roofs are not permitted.
Smoking:
No smoking is permitted in the outdoor seating area, and if planting is provided, it to be watered regularly to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
Management of Places of Assembly & Recreation:
The entire premises (including their outdoor seating areas), is to be managed in accordance with the Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Places of Assembly & Recreation.
Persons in control of a premises should be aware of their responsibilities under Section 18(2) of the Fire Services Act, as amended, and as follows:
Section 18(2)
“It shall be the duty of every person having control over premises to which this section applies to:
(a) take all reasonable measures to guard against the outbreak of fire on such premises,
(b) provide reasonable fire safety measures for such premises and prepare and provide appropriate fire safety procedures for ensuring the safety of persons on such premises,
(c) ensure that the fire safety measures and procedures referred to in paragraph (b) above are applied at all times, and
(d) to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable the safety of persons on the premises in the event of an outbreak of fire whether such outbreak occurred or not”