Fire Risk Assessments
Every business has a legal duty to carry out a fire risk assessment. The government provide guidance on carrying out a fire risk assessment for different types of businesses which you can find on our Choose your business type page.
See below to learn about assessments generally and the importance of keeping them updated. If you have simple premises you may be able to carry out an assessment yourself using the Government's 5-step checklist, or alternatively choose a fire risk assessor to carry out the assessment for you.
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About Fire Risk Assessments
A Fire Risk Assessment is an 'organised and methodical' assessment of your premises, the activities you carry out there and the risk of fire. It identifies potential fire hazards and what can be done to reduce the risk of harm. It also considers what precautions and arrangements are needed to make sure people are safe if a fire does start.
Updating your fire risk assessment
You must regularly review your fire risk assessment and update it where necessary - for example, when there have been alterations to your building or work activities that affect your fire precautions. This will enable you to monitor how the risk of fire is being controlled in your premises.
5-step checklist
Responsible Persons for simple premises who wish to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment themselves may wish to use the government's 5-step Checklist which provides five key steps that RPs should undertake when carrying out an assessment.
Choosing a fire risk assessor
If you wish to appoint a fire risk assessor to carry out your fire risk assessment for you, it is important to check that the person you are employing is competent and can do the job correctly, as the legal duty always remains with you.