Planning Fire Safety Assistants Correctly for Shift Work
Fire safety assistant provision for shift work cannot be planned from an overall percentage alone. Having five per cent of staff trained may sound like a simple rule, yet it can still be insufficient. Holidays, sickness absence, training, remote working and staff turnover all change the people actually present. What matters is reliable coverage during every operating period.
Five per cent is a starting point, not a universal target
Planning question: Are enough trained fire safety assistants present in every staffed shift and every relevant area?
Under ASR A2.2 and DGUV Information 205-023, five per cent of employees are generally sufficient where the fire risk is normal. The required number must nevertheless be determined through the risk assessment. The type of organisation, fire hazards, people present and special circumstances may require a substantially higher proportion.
The percentage must not be applied only to the total workforce. If 100 employees are distributed across three shifts, two buildings and remote-working arrangements, five trained people do not guarantee reliable attendance.
Plan with a coverage matrix
Create a simple matrix of sites, building areas, shifts and minimum staffing. Record each qualified person’s work location, usual shift, cover arrangements and training date. This reveals gaps that an overall percentage would conceal.
Separate fire compartments, extensive premises or areas that cannot be reached at the same time may require their own coverage. People with reduced mobility, visitor numbers and external workers must also be considered in the risk assessment.
Consider early, late and night shifts separately.
Assign buildings, floors and spatially separate areas.
Plan for part-time work, remote working and changing work locations.
Nominate cover for short-term and planned absences.
Use reserve capacity for holidays, sickness absence and training
The DGUV expressly identifies holidays, sickness absence, training and staff turnover as relevant factors. Reserve capacity should not be arbitrary. It should be derived from typical absences and the organisation’s operating model. In very small shifts, a single absence can remove all coverage.
Plan several qualified people for each critical shift or establish reliable cover across shifts. Managers alone are often not a sufficient reserve if they are regularly absent, in meetings or working at other locations.
Identify staff turnover and new shift patterns early
Departures, internal transfers and new production hours change fire safety arrangements immediately. An annual review of a spreadsheet may be too late. Link personnel processes to a fire safety assistant check. When someone resigns, transfers or begins a longer absence, coverage for the area should be reviewed automatically.
A new shift pattern, additional weekend work or another building area may also trigger further training. Changes belong in the risk assessment and, where necessary, in updated site-specific instruction.
Availability does not replace suitable qualifications
A person who is present can help only if they have received professional training and site-specific instruction. Fire safety assistants from another site may not know the alarm procedures, special systems or extinguishing agents. Cover across different sites therefore requires additional instruction.
Also check whether knowledge remains current. For a normal fire risk, the ASR gives a proven refresher interval of two to five years. Significant operational changes may require earlier refresher training. Fire safety assistant training in Munich can be used to qualify both new employees and those requiring a refresher.
A robust workplace routine
Define a responsible function, a fixed review cycle and clear triggers. Keep the list with only the personal data necessary for qualification and deployment planning. Individual replacements can attend a scheduled open course, while complete shifts or larger groups are suited to in-house training at the organisation.
Check attendance gaps monthly or in line with shift planning.
Compare staff changes and new areas quarterly.
Review the risk assessment and general instruction annually.
Schedule refreshers before the defined interval expires.
Update site-specific instruction immediately after changes.
Frequently asked questions
Must fire safety assistants be present on every shift?
The organisation must retain sufficient capability throughout operating hours. Shift work and absences must expressly be considered. Qualifications available only during the day do not cover a night shift.
Do part-time employees count towards the five per cent?
The risk assessment considers the employees actually present and the coverage required. Part-time work and attendance times must therefore form part of the specific plan instead of relying only on nominal headcount.
Can one fire safety assistant cover several buildings?
Only if accessibility, hazards and workplace arrangements genuinely allow it. Spatially separate or extensive areas often require independent coverage.
Sources and technical basis
Qualify fire safety assistants for actual attendance patterns
Coverage, not certificate numbers
Scheduled open and in-house courses can be planned to cover shifts, sites and foreseeable absences.
Comments