The employer must ensure safe and hygienic working conditions. He is also obliged to take measures for fire protection. In the implementation of this obligation, the employer is supported by an inspector. The person employed in this position must meet certain requirements in terms of education and qualifications, which are acquired after completing the training.

Pursuant to Article 209(1) of the Labour Code, the employer must provide the necessary means to provide emergency first aid, fire fighting and evacuation of employees and appoint appropriate persons for these tasks. In addition, the employer is obliged to provide communication with external services specialized in particular in the field of emergency first aid, medical rescue and fire protection.

The obligations arising from the provisions of the Fire Protection Act (hereinafter referred to as: the Act) and many executive acts force the employer (who also acts as the owner, manager, user of a building, construction object or area) to employ an employee whose task will be to perform certain activities in the field of fire protection. The regulations do not explicitly define the rights and obligations of the fire protection inspector. Therefore, the employer must determine his own needs and translate them into the scope of duties of the person employed in this position.

The legislator specified in Article 4(1) of the Act what the owner of a building, construction object or land should do to ensure fire protection. In the implementation of these activities, the employer may be supported by a fire protection inspector. On this basis, it can be indicated that the person occupying this position should:

• control and advise the employer on compliance with fire-fighting technical, construction, installation and technological requirements;
• advise the employer on equipping a building, construction work or site with the required fire protection equipment and fire extinguishers ;
• take care of ensuring the maintenance and repair of fire-fighting equipment and fire extinguishers in a way that guarantees their efficient and reliable functioning;
• advise the employer on ensuring that persons staying in a building, construction object or on the premises are safe and able to evacuate;
• advise the employer on the preparation of a building, construction object or area for rescue operations;
• familiarize employees with fire regulations;
• determine the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire, natural disaster or other local emergency.

In addition, based on the provisions of the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration on fire protection of buildings, other buildings and areas, the fire protection inspector should:

• take an active part in the development of fire safety instructions for the construction work and update it as needed (paragraph 6(1) of the Regulation);
• periodically organize trial evacuations: at least once every 2 years in a facility intended for more than 50 people who are its regular users, not classified as a human hazard ZL IV or every year in facilities where the group of more than 50 users changes cyclically at the same time, in particular: schools, kindergartens, boarding schools, student dormitories (paragraph 17 of the Regulation).

Persons performing activities in the exclusively mentioned scope should have at least secondary or secondary industry education and the qualifications of a fire protection inspector or qualifications to practice the profession of fire technician. Entitlement shall be acquired, for a period of five years, on completion of the training of fire protection inspectors or of updating training. Training is conducted by schools, training centers and research institutes of the State Fire Service. The regulations set other requirements for persons who will perform fire protection activities, including the above-mentioned activities consisting in preventing the occurrence and spread of fire. Pursuant to Article 4(2a) of the Act, these activities should be commissioned to persons holding the professional title of fire engineer or the professional title of engineer and diploma of graduation from the Main School of Fire Service in the field of safety engineering in the field of fire safety engineering or studies in the field of safety engineering in the field of fire safety. These specialists will perform their tasks, e.g. in large workplaces where there is a higher risk of fire.

Source: https://www.prawo.pl/kadry/inspektor-ochrony-przeciwpozarowej-prawa-i-obowiazki,187877.html

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.