FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – MAXWELL HALL
AUGUST 2013
Maxwell Hall is of concrete and brick construction and opened in 1961. The interior is
primarily solid wall or plaster board partition construction, separated by wood and/or fire
resisting doors.
The accommodation is spread over 5 floors with the Main hall and Balcony being on the
upper three floors and the Lower Hall and Foyer on ground and lower ground floors. The
primary use is for exams, and events such as school revision days, concerts, exhibitions
and ceremonies.
There are also four offices beneath the stage area on the ground floor. The building is also
licensed and therefore needs to comply with further legislation in relation to that.
METHODOLOGY.
The fire risk assessment was undertaken using the framework outlined in the British
Standard PAS 79:2007. The process involved a visual inspection of all accessible areas
on a floor by floor basis to determine:
1. Potential sources of ignition
2. Combustible materials
3. Means of detection
4. Means of escape
5. Emergency lighting
6. Means of fighting fire
7. Fire safety signage
8. Procedures and training
9. Structural features.
10. Hazardous areas.
11. Significant hazards requiring further action.
12. Risk level.
For the purpose of this report the stage in the main hall is to be classed as the ‘front’ of the
building with the main entrance foyer being the ‘rear’.
FINDINGS.
1. Potential sources of ignition.
The potential sources of ignition identified in the building are:
 Electrical appliances, including computer equipment – in offices behind stage area.
 Electrical stage equipment and lighting both behind stage and in lighting gallery on
upper balcony.
 Electrical equipment brought into the building by event organisers and exhibitors.
 Vending machines in main foyer.
 Arson, as the building is open access for students/visitors especially in Maxwell Well.
The building has fewer electrical appliances than other buildings due to it being mainly hall
space. There is however the possibility for event organisers to bring in electrical equipment
of their own which are required to be PA tested as part of the hire agreement.
1
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – MAXWELL HALL
AUGUST 2013
There is a significant risk from arson as the building is low occupancy and is often
unlocked when not in use.
2. Combustible materials.
These are primarily:
 Paper files in offices.
 Variety of furniture stored in Lower Hall and in the area at the rear of the main hall.
 Porta-cabin at the rear of the building.
 Coats/bags in cloakroom in the main foyer.
 Materials introduced to building during exhibitions/events such as display boards,
posters and catering equipment.
 Materials stored under rear right hand stairwell.
 Paperwork during exam times and students bags/coats stored whilst exams are in
progress.
The main area of concern was the ‘cloakroom’ in the main entrance lobby which was very
cluttered and opens directly onto the lobby.
3. Means of detection.
The building has some automatic detection in the form of smoke detectors on the corridor
behind the stage area. The remainder of the building relies entirely on manually operated
call points to raise the alarm. These points are numerous and situated in appropriate
locations.
The lower hall requires either smoke or heat detection installing as a fire could start and
burn undiscovered in there whilst the upper hall is in use.
4. Means of escape.
The stairwell at the rear right of the hall links the building with the 1st floor of Maxwell
Building and also provides access to the Main Hall for disabled people via the lifts in
Maxwell building. The poor signage to this exit as a disabled route could cause problems
in the event of an evacuation.
The Main Hall exit which leaves via an external metal staircase had large gaps between
the railings and no toe boards which could be dangerous if children were using the stairs.
Further to this the door from the Main Hall to these stairs has a raised plinth that could
constitute a trip hazard to people leaving the building. The surface of this staircase was
also poor and could be slippery in the wet.
The seating in the Main Hall is adapted for each event. When the seating is put out it must
conform to the following guidance taken from ‘Fire Safety Risk Assessment. Large places
of assembly’:

Seats must not be more than 7 seats away from a gangway – ie. rows not longer
than 14 seats.
2
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – MAXWELL HALL
AUGUST 2013

These seats must be secured in lengths of between 4 and 12 chairs and each
length must be fixed to the floor.
Numbers of occupants.
The numbers of people expected to be using the building at maximum capacity are as
follows:
These numbers are based on the halls maximum capacity.
During exams the amount of desks placed in the 2 halls are:
Lower Hall
Main Hall
-
90
200
These numbers do not include staff present during the exams.
The actual ‘licensed’ capacities for the building are stated as:
Lower Hall
Main Hall
Main Hall Balcony -
350
1020
282
Escape stairs.
The following numbers have been calculated using table 7 in the ‘Approved Document B.
Building Regulations 2000.’.
Lower Hall.
Front right
280
Front left
280
Main Hall and balcony.
Front right
Front left
Back right
Back left
335
300
390
390
Total
Main hall side
exit
280
1695
Storage of display boards and bicycles under stairs must be stopped and a more suitable
area found.
Disabled visitors/students can access the building via the lifts in Maxwell building although
this only gives access to the main hall. The egress of disabled persons would be via this
route. Wheelchair access to all other areas in the building is restricted by flights of stairs
so it is unlikely that any wheelchair users would be in those parts of the building. In the
Main Hall a ramp has been installed for wheelchair access and egress from the main floor
area.
3
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – MAXWELL HALL
AUGUST 2013
A small lift is available for access to the lower hall from ground floor level.
5. Emergency Lighting.
The building is fitted with adequate escape lighting which is designed to enable safe exit in
the event of a power failure. Illuminated exit signs in place over doors are permanently lit
to comply with current licensing legislation.
6. Means of fighting fire.
The building is equipped with portable fire extinguishers which are located by most call
points. These are in pairs of one water and one carbon dioxide extinguisher unless the risk
dictates otherwise (ie CO2 extinguishers are provided in electrical plant rooms).
7. Signage.
The building is fitted with a variety of fire safety signs. These include fire exit, extinguisher,
fire-action, and call point signs and are compliant with the Safety (Safety Signs and
Signals) Regulations 1996.
8. Fire Procedures.
There is an evacuation plan for the building although this differs from others at the
University in that there is no designated Building Controller or Fire Wardens. The
document places the responsibility of evacuation management on the organisers of the
event and gives details of these responsibilities.
Fire action notices are present in the building by each manual call point and in areas
where they were deemed necessary. These give guidance to members of the public as to
meeting points and who to contact in the event of a fire.
9. Structural features.
There were no obvious structural features that warranted concern within the building.
10. Hazardous areas.
There are no areas that would increase the risk during a fire.
11. Significant hazards requiring further control.
General Items Identified.
No detection in lower hall or
rear corridor.
Action Required.
Smoke or heat detection must be
installed.
Actioned by.
Estates.
12. Risk level.
The following assessment of risk is based on the building after completion of the additional
controls identified above.
4
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT – MAXWELL HALL
AUGUST 2013
Likelihood
of Fire
X
Severity

=

1
X
Risk Level

5
=
5
Control measures to manage the fire risk in Maxwell Hall are quantified as: Adequate.
Increasing Consequence
Risk Rating:
5
10
15
20
25
4
8
12
16
20
3
6
9
12
15
2
4
6
8
10
1
2
3
4
5
17-25 Unacceptable – Stop activity and make
immediate improvements/seek further advice
10-16 Tolerable – look to improve within
specified timescale
5-9 Adequate – Look to improve at next
review
1-4 Acceptable - No further action, but ensure
controls are maintained
Increasing Likelihood
Guide to using the risk rating table:
Consequences
1 Insignificant – no impact
2 Minor – minor interruption to activity/process
3 Moderate – some damage to property/business interruption
4 Major – significant internal damage to property
5 Catastrophic –major disaster e.g. loss of life/loss of a
building/impact on surrounding areas
Likelihood
1 Very unlikely – 1 in a million chance of it happening
2 Unlikely – 1 in 100,000 chance of it happening
3 Fairly likely – 1 in 10,000 chance of it happening
4 Likely – 1 in 1,000 chance of it happening
5 Very likely – 1 in 100 chance of it happening
Bibliography.
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004). The Building Regulations 2000. Fire safety
Approved Document B, 2006 Edition. TSO, London.
HM Government (2006). Fire Safety Risk Assessment. Large Places of Assembly.
Department for Communities and Local Government Publications, London.
5