Shops and offices
If you have, own or run a shop or an office, you must carry out a fire risk assessment. This is the law.
You can learn what a fire risk assessment is below. This applies to shops and offices, even where only part of the building is being used. It also applies to purpose-built or converted office blocks, and individual offices and shops that are part of a larger complex (for example, in a shopping centre).
Your Fire Risk Assessment must be carried out by your Responsible Person - examples of a responsible person are an employer, building owner, landlord, building manager or agent. You can also employ a professional Fire Risk Assessor to do the assessment for you.
What is a fire risk assessment
A fire risk assessment is an assessment of the possible fire risks in your shop or office and what can be done to remove or reduce them. You must record the required information and keep it up to date.
Every shop or office has a legal responsibility to do and maintain a fire risk assessment. It is there to help keep you, your customers, staff, public and building safe from fire. It is possible to do the fire risk assessment yourself, particularly if your premises are small or low risk.
The Government produces a guide which tells you how to carry out a fire risk assessment.
If you don't want to do your fire risk assessment yourself
If you cannot carry out the Fire Risk Assessment yourself, you can employ someone to do it for you.
You will still be legally responsible for your Fire Risk Assessment and so it is important that you use or employ a person who can do the job correctly. Take a look at the things you should check before employing someone to do your Fire Risk Assessment
When we inspect your premises
Kent Fire and Rescue Service are legally required to inspect business premises and make sure that you have appropriate fire safety in place. This is to help protect you, your building, your staff, customers and anyone who uses the building from the risk of fire.
Our Inspector will make sure that your premises comply with the government guidance found in 'Fire Risk Assessment for Shops and Offices' referred to above.This means the things you need to do to make sure that:
- if there is a fire, the building will hold back fire and smoke to allow enough time for people to escape
- the building has the appropriate fire alarm(s) and warnings, signage, lighting and other requirements referred to in the government guidance to assist people to evacuate if there is a fire
- that you know what to do if there is a fire, and that this information has been passed onto your staff and other relevant people
- you are doing everything to stop fire in the first place by identifying fire hazards and people at risk, and by removing or reducing those hazards and risks
- that you keep records of what you do and keep your Fire Risk Assessment updated