Organisational fire safety
A safe building also depends on how it is used and on what people do when the alarm sounds. We help you set up evacuation plans, emergency response (BHV) and the safe use of your building, in line with Dutch rules and in clear English.
What is organisational fire safety?
Organisational fire safety is about the use of the building and the people in it: keeping escape routes clear, keeping installations working, and making sure everyone knows what to do in an emergency. It covers how a building is used safely from a fire perspective, who is responsible for the building installations, and how people carry out the safety procedures during an emergency.
It is the third discipline alongside structural and installation fire safety. Even a well-built building with good installations is only safe if the organisation keeps it that way.
The Dutch rules in brief
- Building Decree (Bbl): rules for the safe use of buildings, for example keeping escape routes free and keeping fire safety installations working. For certain buildings, a fire safety use notification (gebruiksmelding) is required before use. See gebruiksmelding.
- Evacuation plan and designated people (Bbl): where the Bbl requires a fire alarm system, the building must have an evacuation plan. Buildings with such a fire alarm system, and buildings with a use notification, must also have enough designated people to carry out an evacuation quickly enough.
- Working Conditions Act (Arbowet): employers must arrange emergency response (bedrijfshulpverlening, BHV), based on their risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E).
- NEN 8112: the Dutch standard used for drawing up an evacuation plan.
What we do
- Evacuation plans to NEN 8112, tailored to your building, your organisation and your installations.
- Evacuation scenarios: who leaves how, including people who cannot leave the building on their own.
- BHV policy plan and BHV organisation: the set-up of your emergency response team, with clear roles and responsibilities.
- Number of BHV staff: calculated from your risks, the number of people present and your working hours, not from a rule of thumb.
- Risk analyses and business continuity plans.
- Safety floor plans and escape route audits, so that every floor has clear and correct escape plans.
- BHV scans and fire safety checks: a quick review of how fire safety is organised in practice.
- Tabletop exercises: practising decisions and communication during an incident, without evacuating the building.
- Use notification (gebruiksmelding) through the Omgevingsloket. See gebruiksmelding.
When you need it
- You move into a new building, or start using an existing building for a different purpose.
- Your building has a required fire alarm system, or a fire alarm system is being installed. The Bbl then also requires an evacuation plan.
- The number of staff or visitors has grown, or you work in shifts.
- The fire service, the Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie) or your insurer asks for your evacuation plan or BHV arrangements.
- You have an international workforce and need plans and instructions in English, Dutch or both.
- An incident, an exercise or an audit showed that procedures did not work as intended.
How we work
- Understand: We visit the building and talk to the people responsible for facilities, safety and BHV.
- Assess: We review your current plans, installations and organisation against the rules and the actual use of the building.
- Advise: You receive practical plans and clear instructions in English, ready to use.
- Support: We help with implementation, from briefing the BHV team to a tabletop exercise.
Frequently asked questions
Is an evacuation plan mandatory in the Netherlands?
In many buildings, yes. Where the Bbl requires a fire alarm system, the building must also have an evacuation plan. Where no fire alarm system is required, an evacuation plan is still the logical basis for the emergency response that employers must arrange under the Arbowet.
How many BHV officers do we need?
Enough to evacuate the building quickly enough. The Bbl requires this for buildings with a required fire alarm system and buildings with a use notification, but neither the Bbl nor the Arbowet sets a fixed ratio. The number depends on your risks, the number of people present, the layout of the building and your working hours. We calculate it on the basis of your evacuation scenarios and your RI&E.
What is the difference between BHV and an evacuation plan?
BHV is the people and the organisation: who does what in an emergency. The evacuation plan describes the procedures they follow and how the building is evacuated. You need both, and they have to match the building and its installations.
Can the plans be in English?
Yes. We write evacuation plans and instructions in English, Dutch or both, so that your whole workforce understands them.
Need an evacuation plan or BHV advice?
Tell us about your building and your organisation. We will send you a proposal with a clear scope and timeline.