27 Mar 2024
What is a Fire Risk Assessment?
A careful look at your premises and the people who use them, from a fire prevention perspective. It’s about understanding the potential risks, then improving your fire safety precautions to keep people safe.
Why do it?
A Fire Risk Assessment is a legal requirement. If you are responsible for a building, for example a employer, owner or occupier of premises that aren't a 'single private dwelling' (a private home), you need to make sure a suitably competent person completes a Fire Risk Assessment. It is your duty to identify fire risks and hazards in your premises and take appropriate action.
The Responsible Person must record all findings from their fire risk assessment, regardless of the size or purpose of the premises. This is a new requirement, effective from 1 October 2023. Previously this was only required for certain types of buildings. Responsible Persons must also record their fire safety arrangements. Find out more about the changes effective from 1 October 2023.
Make sure you review your risk assessment regularly and whenever significant changes have been made that would have an impact on it. It’s good business sense as well as a legal requirement, often businesses don’t recover after a fire, and effective fire prevention starts with properly understanding the risks.
Did you know?
If there's a fire and you haven't met your legal duties to keep people safe, you could be fined and may even spend time in prison. Learn about your legal obligations here.
How to do a Fire Risk Assessment
Broadly speaking, assessments are conducted in five key steps:
Identify the fire hazards.
Identify people at risk.
Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.
Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.
Who checks it?
We do – inspecting premises is part of our duty to keep people safe from fire. If your premises aren't safe, or you haven't done an assessment, you may be fined. If we believe people are at risk, we may even have to close your business until you can make it safe for employees and members of the public.
Who should do my Fire Risk Assessment?
It depends on how large or complex your business or organisation is.
Large complex business
If your business is larger or more complex, contact an expert to come and help. Our responsibilities lie in making sure you’ve done an appropriate assessment – we don’t provide an assessment service. You'll need to find a suitably qualified specialist, but there's a guide to help you at the end of this page.
SME or smaller organisation
If your business or organisation is relatively small and you think your potential risks aren’t complex, it is possible to do it yourself. You can find a guides to help you understand what’s required here on the Gov.UK website and we have created a downloadable Word document to support you.
Source: London-Fire.gov.uk