Nursing homes and residential care settings are among the most demanding buildings to keep safe. Residents may have limited mobility, dementia or frailty, many are in bed at night when staffing is lowest, and they are more vulnerable if something goes wrong with the water system. This guide gives managers a practical overview of what a fire risk assessment and a Legionella risk assessment should cover in a care setting, and links to our more detailed guides.
Your duties
Under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 (section 18(2)), the person in control of a premises must take reasonable measures to guard against outbreak of fire and to ensure the safety of people. Employers also have duties under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and Irish guidance on Legionella is set out in the HPSC National Guidelines for the Control of Legionellosis in Ireland and the HSA information on Legionnaires’ disease. Registered nursing homes are also inspected by HIQA, so check which standards and regulations apply to your centre. A written risk assessment for fire and one for water is how you show what you have identified and what you are doing about it.
Fire safety in a care setting
- Evacuation strategy. Residents often cannot leave quickly or alone. Many care settings use progressive horizontal evacuation, moving residents through fire doors to a protected area on the same floor, but the right plan depends on your building. Every member of staff needs to know it.
- Personal emergency evacuation plans. Record how each resident would be helped to safety and keep these up to date as needs change.
- Night-time staffing. Fewer staff are on duty at night. Practise drills at night and with the lowest numbers, and record what you learn. See how to run an evacuation drill.
- Fire doors. Bedroom and corridor doors help contain a fire only if they close properly. Check seals and closers, and make sure doors are not wedged open. Hold-open devices should release when the alarm sounds.
- Exit doors and security. Doors secured for resident safety must still release quickly in an emergency. See fire exit doors, locks and keypads.
- Alarm, emergency lighting and extinguishers. Test, service and record them. See fire alarm testing and servicing.
- Kitchens and laundries. Both are common sources of fire. See staff kitchens and tea rooms and laundries and tumble dryers.
- Smoking, oxygen and electrical equipment. Control where residents and visitors can smoke, store oxygen cylinders safely, and keep electric beds, hoists, chargers and heaters maintained. See smoking and vaping at work.
- Visitors and contractors. They should know what to do if the alarm sounds: fire safety induction for visitors and contractors.
For a Limerick-focused example, see fire risk assessments for nursing homes and residential care in Limerick. Our fire risk assessment service covers standard commercial and care premises across Ireland.
Legionella and water safety in a care setting
Legionella can cause serious illness, and older and frailer people are at higher risk, so care settings need careful water management. A Legionella risk assessment reviews your hot and cold water system and shows what to control and how often. Points to look at include:
- Temperatures. Hot water storage, distribution and cold water should be monitored and recorded as your assessment sets out. See hot water cylinders and calorifiers.
- Mixing valves. Thermostatic mixing valves protect residents from scalding but can create warm water near the outlet and need regular checks: thermostatic mixing valves and Legionella.
- Empty rooms and little-used outlets. Vacant bedrooms, en-suites, spare bathrooms and rarely used taps and showers should be flushed regularly and recorded. See flushing little-used taps and showers.
- Shower heads and hoses. Clean and descale them as your assessment says, or replace them if worn. See our shower head disinfection service.
- Sampling. Where the assessment recommends it, samples are taken from representative outlets. See which outlets get sampled and Legionella testing.
- Written scheme and review. Set out who does what and when, and review the assessment when the building, use or water system changes: written scheme of control and how often to review.
Our Legionella risk assessment service covers standard hot and cold water systems. Specialised systems, such as hydrotherapy or spa pools, need their own assessment.
Keep your records ready
Inspectors and auditors will want to see that checks are done and recorded: alarm tests, drills, fire door and emergency lighting checks, flushing, temperatures, sampling results and the risk assessments themselves. Our guide on fire and water safety records nursing homes should have ready for inspection lists what to keep.
Where we work
Safer Solutions carries out fire risk assessments, Legionella risk assessments and Legionella sampling for nursing homes, residential care providers, businesses and landlords across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway, and areas such as Tallaght, Blanchardstown, Dundrum, Ballincollig, Castletroy, Raheen, Oranmore and Mervue. See all the areas we cover. Tell us about your service through our contact page or call 086 275 9728 for a free written quote.
This guide is general information and is not legal advice. Your duties depend on the use and layout of your premises and the standards that apply to your centre.