Services / Fire Risk Assessments
Fire Risk Assessments
Practical fire risk controls for the storage of waste at waste, recycling and CRWM sites.
Practical fire risk controls for the storage of waste at waste, recycling and CRWM sites.
Operational experience. Practical solutions.
We've studied fire behaviour, managed stockpiles, ignition sources and site layouts — our fire risk controls are built from that experience, not a template.
Fire is an ever-present risk at waste handling facilities
There are many ways fire can start in waste. Understanding the risks associated with fire, and identifying effective controls, is a critical part of complying with your EPA permission and your General Environmental Duty.
What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a proactive evaluation to identify, assess and control fire hazards that could harm human health or the environment.
Under the General Environmental Duty (GED), duty holders must prevent fires and mitigate their environmental consequences — such as toxic smoke plumes or contaminated firewater runoff entering waterways — before an incident occurs.
The process involves identifying areas of potential risk such as ignition sources and combustible materials, reviewing existing controls, and recommending additional, practical control measures grounded in real operational experience.
We evaluate risk severity both before and after controls are applied, resulting in a clear picture of fire risk across your site.
Why do you need one?
If your site carries out an activity with the potential to catch fire and cause environmental harm (such as storing waste), a fire risk assessment is required to demonstrate you've assessed and adequately controlled that risk, including protection of the environment in the event of a fire.
Sites that store combustible or recyclable waste materials (CRWM) are required under the Environment Protection Act 2017 to adequately control these risks, and a fire risk assessment is how you demonstrate that your business understands and has planned for them.
How CRA Can Help
We come to site to get a thorough understanding of your operations. Our operational background means we understand your business, and your risks, better than a consultant without that experience — and understanding how the site actually operates is critical to determining controls that work in real-world conditions.
Waste types, throughput, site processes, available equipment and site layout… it all needs to be considered.
We work through the process with you, making suggestions based on direct experience, then develop the fire risk assessment specifically for your business and activity. CRA are risk experts who have produced fire risk assessments for many waste and manufacturing sites throughout Victoria.
We can also help develop related fire prevention frameworks, including stockpile management plans and Emergency Response Plans, and design stockpile layouts in line with EPA Victoria's CRWM management guidelines.