Fire Risk Assessor in Taunton

Location: Hinkley Point C, Somerset

Pay: PAYE £363.73 or Umbrella £507.73

Job Purpose / Overview

Reporting to the Principal Fire Risk Assessor, the Construction Fire Risk Assessor will provide competent, proportionate and risk-informed fire risk assessment support across the Hinkley Point C construction programme. The role will own and maintain construction-phase Fire Risk Assessments within an allocated portfolio of buildings, areas or workfaces, ensuring assessments remain suitable and sufficient as construction configuration, occupancy, commissioning status, temporary arrangements and contractor activities change. The post holder will provide specialist assessment and assurance while maintaining clear professional boundaries between the assessor, fire safety teams, contractors and those who own or implement risk controls. The role supports coordination of fire risk information across a complex multi-contractor environment and provides a clear evidence base for decision-making, escalation and governance.

Operating Environment

Hinkley Point C is a large, complex and continually changing construction environment involving multiple delivery organisations, temporary and permanent fire precautions, phased handovers, emerging commissioning activities and interfaces with future operational arrangements. Fire risk can change materially over short periods and requires active review rather than reliance on a static assessment. The Fire Safety Team manages and assures construction-phase fire safety across HPC and works closely with delivery teams, contractors, commissioning stakeholders and other fire safety functions. RR(FS)O, CDM, HSG168 is a key source of construction fire safety guidance, alongside applicable legal and project requirements.

Principal Accountabilities and Responsibilities

• Own, undertake, review and maintain suitable and sufficient construction-phase Fire Risk Assessments for an allocated portfolio, reflecting the actual configuration and use of the workplace at the time of assessment.
• Apply a structured methodology to identify fire hazards, persons at risk, preventive and protective measures, significant findings and proportionate additional controls.
• Assess construction-specific and transient risks including changing escape routes; temporary alarm/detection, compartmentation and services; penetrations/openings; hot work; combustible loading and waste; storage; temporary accommodation; battery charging; gas cylinders; and other relevant hazardous activities.
• Evaluate the adequacy, availability and reliability of temporary and permanent fire precautions as buildings progress through construction, installation, testing, commissioning and handover.
• Clearly record the assessed condition, assumptions and limitations, deficiencies, required actions, action owners and review triggers.
• Maintain live assessment records and initiate review following material change, significant occupancy/activity change, relevant fire events, impairment of precautions, changed emergency arrangements, or new information that may invalidate the assessment.
• Undertake planned workplace verification and fire safety walkdowns to confirm that assessed conditions remain representative and significant controls are maintained.
• Escalate significant or immediate life-safety concerns promptly through applicable HPC governance and site management arrangements.
• Produce clear, prioritised and auditable recommendations proportionate to risk and suitable for action tracking and close-out.
• Provide competent FRA input to construction change, temporary arrangements, phased occupation, handover and commissioning interfaces where these can affect life safety or assessment validity.
• Review relevant contractor fire safety information as an input to the area FRA.
• Coordinate with Fire Safety Coordinators, construction teams, contractors and relevant SMEs to obtain information necessary for robust assessment.
• Support Fire Hazard Analysis activities where required, maintaining a clear distinction between life-safety FRA and wider project fire hazard analysis purpose and ownership.
• Contribute to assurance inspections, focused inspections, thematic reviews and learning activities, identifying where recurring findings indicate wider management or control weaknesses.
• Support analysis of fire events, near misses and adverse trends through assessment evidence, technical opinion and recommendations for improvement.
• Support development and continuous improvement of FRA templates, guidance, quality standards, review arrangements and consistency across the Fire Safety Team.
• Participate in peer review, moderation and technical challenge in line with assessor competence, assessment complexity and project governance.
• Maintain accurate, traceable FRA records, including superseded assessments, adjustment records, evidence and close-out information.
• Communicate technical findings clearly at all organisational levels and promote positive fire safety culture through constructive challenge and proportionate decision-making.

Role Boundaries and Escalation

The assessor provides competent assessment, advice and challenge. Accountability for implementing and maintaining controls remains with the relevant dutyholder, area owner, contractor or other designated accountable party. The assessor must work within demonstrated competence. Matters beyond that competence or of unusual complexity/consequence must be escalated for review or allocation to an appropriately competent assessor or specialist. Immediate or potentially intolerable life-safety risk must be escalated without delay through applicable HPC arrangements. The role may support Commissioning and Pre-Operations interfaces during transition, but its primary remit is construction-phase fire risk assessment.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience - Essential

• Minimum Level 4 fire safety qualification, or equivalent recognised qualification providing appropriate underpinning knowledge for fire risk assessment.
• Demonstrable FRA experience in construction, complex industrial, major infrastructure, energy, high-hazard or similarly dynamic environments.
• Practical understanding and application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, including suitable and sufficient assessment, general fire precautions, cooperation/coordination and review following significant change.
• Working knowledge of HSG168 Fire Safety in Construction and the interaction of fire risk management with CDM 2015 in a construction environment.
• Sound knowledge of means of escape, warning/detection, emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, compartmentation/fire-stopping, fire service access, management controls and emergency arrangements.
• Ability to assess temporary and evolving fire precautions where permanent systems or building features are incomplete, impaired or not yet commissioned.
• Ability to prioritise risk, define practical recommendations and record the basis of professional judgement clearly and audibly.
• Strong report-writing and stakeholder engagement skills, including confidence to constructively challenge contractor, construction and project management interfaces.
• Ability to manage a portfolio of live assessments, reviews, site verification and actions in a changing programme environment.
• Commitment to CPD, reflective learning and maintenance of evidence demonstrating ongoing competence.
• Competence in Microsoft applications and aptitude to use project information-management and assurance systems.

Professional Registration and Competence Expectation

The preferred route is inclusion on a recognised individual Fire Risk Assessor register, supported by demonstrated experience appropriate to the complexity of allocated work. The role should provide a credible development pathway from established construction FRA practice toward higher-complexity assessment under appropriate supervision and governance. Ideally a member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM), Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), or another relevant professional fire safety body. Ideally listed on an appropriate recognised Fire Risk Assessor register at a level suitable for allocated assessments, or able to demonstrate an equivalent independently assessed competence route. Where the IFSM National Fire Risk Assessors Register is used, current Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced terminology should be adopted rather than relying solely on legacy Tier descriptions. Given the complexity of HPC, progression toward Intermediate and ultimately Advanced externally recognised competence is desirable. Foundation-level competence alone should not be assumed sufficient for complex/high-risk assessments. Applicants still progressing may be considered where relevant experience, a credible development plan, suitable supervision.