Fire Risk Assessment

As the responsible person, you must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.

You must keep a written record of your fire risk assessment if your business has 5 or more people. We recommend always having a written record to prove all risks have been assessed.

Carrying out the assessment

1. Identify the fire hazards.
2. Identify people at risk.
3. Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
4. Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.
5. Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.

You’ll need to consider:

• emergency routes and exits
• fire detection and warning systems
• firefighting equipment
• the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances
• an emergency fire evacuation plan
• the needs of vulnerable people, for example the elderly, young children or those with disabilities
• providing information to employees and other people on the premises
• staff fire safety training

Help with the assessment

You can do the fire risk assessment yourself with the help of standard fire safety risk assessment guides.

If you do not have the expertise or time to do the fire risk assessment yourself you need to appoint a ‘competent person’ to help, for example, a professional risk assessor.

Our qualified risk assessors use the British Standard PAS79 format for recording the findings of the risk assessment.