Fire Risk Assessments - General Overview

Does your Business Own or Occupy a Building?

As an employer (and/or building owner or occupier), you are legally required to carry out and maintain a fire safety risk assessment. 

Questions we are often asked

Who needs a fire risk assessment?

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The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (commonly known simply as the Fire Safety Order) introduced a legal duty for ‘the responsible person to take all reasonable steps to ensure that fire safety levels are appropriate at all times.

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The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed for the purpose of identifying the general fire precautions he needs to take to comply with the requirements and prohibitions imposed on him by or under this Order.

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This legislation applies to all non-domestic properties including commercial and public premises, such as shops, factories, warehouses, and offices, but also schools, nursing homes as well as businesses providing sleeping accommodation. It also applies to sheltered housing as well as the communal areas of blocks of flats and houses in multiple occupations (HMOs) though not to the individual dwellings within the HMO.

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Who is a responsible person?

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Employers (for workplace premises)

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This may be an individual or a company and includes family-run businesses who may not naturally see themselves as a traditional employer. If the workplace is to any extent under their control the employer is the Responsible Person under the Fire Safety Order even if they have never visited the premises or appointed managers to run the business.

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People with control of the premises

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This can include occupiers or people conducting business, trade, or other undertakings, or where it is not a workplace or there is no employer. This relates to premises that are workplaces, but where there is not a traditional employer/employee relationship such as premises operated by volunteers including village halls, scout huts, places of worship, guest houses, and charity shops.

In multi-occupied residential buildings, managing agents are often appointed by the freeholder to manage the common areas of the building and may have control over this area of the building.

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Depending on the contract, the management company could be the Responsible Person or the Duty Holder.

Owners

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This is where neither of the above applies and the person in control of the premises does not have control in connection with the carrying on by that person of a trade, business, or other undertakings.

It can include the non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings where there is no management agent contracted to manage the building. It also includes unoccupied buildings which the Fire Safety Order applies to.

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What does this service cover?

• Comprehensive fire risk assessment of your building and staff

• Hazard identification, solutions, review, and implementation

• Comprehensive Fire Door inspection

• Fire prevention

• Ongoing Fire Support & Advice

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When does my business need 

an Annual Fire Risk Assessment? 

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By law, every employer must conduct risk assessments on the work their employee's conduct.

If the company or organisation employs more than five employees, then the results should be properly documented with details of any groups of employees such as vulnerable such as older, younger, pregnant or disabled staff. 

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How will my business benefit from

a Fire Risk Assessment 

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• Satisfaction knowing you have met your legal obligation to issue an annual fire risk assessment

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• Saves Lives

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• Protects your property

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• Fire prevention

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• Keeps your employees safe

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• Increases the chances of business recovery

       should a fire happen

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