Fire Risk Assessment: A Step-by-Step UK Guide

Fire is one of the most devastating hazards a workplace can face. In the UK, fire and rescue services attend thousands of workplace fires every year, causing injuries, deaths, and millions of pounds in property damage. The law requires every employer and person responsible for a workplace to carry out a fire risk assessment — yet many businesses either fail to do one at all or treat it as a one-off exercise that gathers dust in a filing cabinet.

This guide explains the legal framework, walks you through the fire risk assessment process step by step, and highlights the mistakes that most commonly lead to enforcement action.

The Legal Framework: Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (often called the Fire Safety Order or FSO) is the primary legislation governing fire safety in non-domestic premises in England and Wales. Scotland has the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, which impose similar duties.

The Fire Safety Order replaced over 70 pieces of previous fire safety legislation and shifted the approach from prescriptive rules to a risk-based system. Instead of a fire officer telling you what to do, the responsibility now sits squarely with the responsible person to assess the risks and take appropriate action.

Key Requirements of the Fire Safety Order

Under the FSO, you must:

• Carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it under review
• Appoint one or more competent persons to assist with fire safety measures
• Provide and maintain fire detection and warning systems
• Ensure adequate means of escape and keep escape routes clear
• Provide appropriate fire-fighting equipment
• Provide fire safety training to all employees
• Prepare an emergency plan and ensure it is practised
• Maintain records of your fire risk assessment, emergency plan, training, and maintenance

Who Is the Responsible Person?

The Fire Safety Order places duties on the responsible person. This is typically:

• The employer — for workplaces under their control
• The building owner or occupier — if the workplace is not controlled by an employer
• The landlord or managing agent — for the common parts of multi-occupied buildings
• Any other person who has control of the premises — such as a facilities manager

In practice, the responsible person is whoever has control over the premises or the fire safety arrangements within them. In multi-occupied buildings, there may be several responsible persons who need to coordinate with each other.

Can You Delegate?

You can appoint a competent person to carry out the fire risk assessment on your behalf — either a trained member of staff or an external fire risk assessor. However, the legal duty remains with the responsible person. You cannot delegate the responsibility itself, only the task.

The competent person must have sufficient training, experience and knowledge to carry out the assessment properly. For complex premises (large buildings, high-risk processes, sleeping accommodation), this typically means engaging a specialist fire risk assessor.

The 5-Step Fire Risk Assessment Process

The HSE and fire safety guidance recommend a straightforward 5-step approach, mirroring the general risk assessment process but focused specifically on fire hazards.

Step 1: Identify Fire Hazards

Fire requires three elements — the fire triangle:

• Ignition sources (heat or sparks that could start a fire)
• Fuel (anything that can burn)
• Oxygen (usually present in the air, but also in some chemicals and oxidising agents)

Walk through your premises and identify each element.

Common ignition sources:

• Faulty or overloaded electrical equipment
• Portable heaters
• Naked flames (cooking, welding, candles)
• Hot processes (grinding, cutting, soldering)
• Smoking materials (especially improperly discarded)
• Arson (deliberate fire-setting, often via rubbish left outside buildings)
• Lightning strikes

Common fuel sources:

• Paper, cardboard and packaging
• Timber, furniture and textiles
• Flammable liquids (solvents, paints, adhesives, cleaning chemicals)
• Flammable gases (LPG, natural gas, acetylene)
• Plastics, rubber and foam
• Waste materials and rubbish
• Cooking oils and fats

Oxygen sources:

• Natural air flow (open windows, doors, ventilation systems)
• Mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning
• Oxidising chemicals (some cleaning agents, certain medical gases)

Step 2: Identify People at Risk

Consider who could be harmed if a fire starts:

• Employees — especially those working alone, at night, or in isolated areas
• Visitors and customers — who may be unfamiliar with the building layout
• People with disabilities — who may need assistance to evacuate
• Young workers and new employees — who may not know the escape routes
• Contractors and delivery drivers — who may be on the premises temporarily
• People sleeping on the premises — in hotels, hostels, care homes or residential accommodation
• Neighbours — in adjacent or connected buildings

Pay particular attention to anyone who may have difficulty evacuating. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) should be created for individuals who need specific assistance.

Step 3: Evaluate, Remove or Reduce the Risks

For each fire hazard you have identified, evaluate the risk and decide what action to take:

Remove or reduce ignition sources:

• Replace faulty electrical equipment and avoid overloading sockets
• Enforce a strict no-smoking policy and provide designated external smoking areas
• Ensure hot work permits are used for welding, cutting and grinding
• Keep heating equipment away from combustible materials
• Implement arson prevention measures (secure bins, remove external rubbish, secure access points)

Remove or reduce fuel sources:

• Minimise the amount of combustible materials stored in the workplace
• Store flammable liquids and gases in approved containers and designated storage areas
• Replace combustible materials with fire-resistant alternatives where possible
• Keep good housekeeping — clutter and waste accumulation increase fire load

Reduce the risk to people:

• Install appropriate fire detection and alarm systems (smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points)
• Provide adequate fire-fighting equipment (extinguishers, fire blankets) and ensure staff know how to use them
• Ensure escape routes are clearly marked, well-lit, unobstructed and lead to a place of safety
• Install emergency lighting in case of power failure
• Post fire action notices at prominent positions throughout the building
• Prepare and test an emergency evacuation plan

Step 4: Record, Plan, Inform, Instruct and Train

If you employ five or more people, you must record the significant findings of your fire risk assessment. Even if you employ fewer, recording your assessment is strongly recommended as evidence of compliance.

Your records should include:

• The date of the assessment and who carried it out
• The significant fire hazards identified
• The people at risk
• The existing fire safety measures in place
• Any further actions needed, who is responsible, and target completion dates
• The date of the next review

Emergency plan:

Prepare a written emergency plan covering:

• How the alarm will be raised
• What to do on hearing the alarm
• Escape routes and assembly points
• Arrangements for people who need assistance
• Who will check the building is clear
• Where to meet the fire and rescue service
• How to contact the emergency services

Training:

All employees must receive fire safety training when they start work and periodically thereafter. Training should cover:

• The fire risks in the workplace
• What to do on discovering a fire
• How to raise the alarm
• The evacuation procedure and escape routes
• Location and use of fire-fighting equipment
• The arrangements for calling the fire and rescue service

Step 5: Review and Update Regularly

A fire risk assessment is a living document. Review it:

• At least annually as a matter of good practice
• After any fire or near-miss incident
• When there are significant changes to the premises (refurbishment, new use, structural alterations)
• When the occupancy changes (new tenants, changes in the number of people)
• When new processes or materials are introduced
• When the fire and rescue service or an enforcing authority advises it

Common Fire Risk Assessment Mistakes

Not having one at all — Some businesses, particularly smaller ones, assume fire risk assessments are only for large organisations. The Fire Safety Order applies to virtually all non-domestic premises, regardless of size.

Treating it as a one-off exercise — A fire risk assessment dated 2019 that has never been reviewed is likely to be out of date and potentially worthless. Premises, people and processes change constantly.

Blocking escape routes — One of the most common findings during fire safety inspections. Escape routes must be kept clear at all times. Storage in corridors, wedged-open fire doors and blocked fire exits are serious breaches.

Ignoring fire doors — Fire doors are critical life-safety features. They must be self-closing, properly maintained, and never propped or wedged open. Damaged fire doors or missing intumescent strips significantly reduce their effectiveness.

Inadequate staff training — Many businesses provide fire training once and assume it is sufficient. Training must be repeated regularly, and new starters must be trained on their first day. If staff do not know the evacuation procedure, the best fire risk assessment in the world will not save lives.

Poor housekeeping — Accumulated waste, clutter and combustible materials stored carelessly are among the top causes of workplace fires. Good housekeeping is one of the simplest and most effective fire prevention measures.

Failing to test fire safety systems — Fire alarms, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems all require regular testing and maintenance. An untested alarm may not work when it matters most.

Enforcement and Penalties

The Fire Safety Order is enforced by the local fire and rescue authority. Fire safety inspectors have the power to:

• Enter and inspect any non-domestic premises at any reasonable time
• Issue alterations notices — requiring you to notify them before making specified changes
• Issue enforcement notices — requiring you to take specific actions within a set timeframe
• Issue prohibition notices — restricting or prohibiting the use of all or part of the premises if there is a serious risk to life
• Prosecute — for failure to comply with the Fire Safety Order

Penalties for non-compliance can be severe:

• Fines of up to unlimited amounts on conviction in the Crown Court
• Imprisonment for up to two years (or more in cases involving deaths)
• Personal liability for directors, managers and company officers who consent to or are negligent about breaches

In 2023, the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 introduced additional duties for responsible persons in multi-occupied residential buildings, including requirements to provide floor plans to fire services and install wayfinding signage.

The Building Safety Act 2022 also introduced further requirements for higher-risk buildings (over 18 metres or 7 storeys), including the appointment of a named accountable person.

When to Use an External Fire Risk Assessor

While the responsible person can carry out the fire risk assessment themselves for simple, low-risk premises, there are situations where engaging a qualified external assessor is strongly advisable:

• Complex premises — large buildings, multiple floors, complex layouts
• Sleeping accommodation — hotels, hostels, care homes, HMOs
• High-risk processes — manufacturing, chemical storage, catering with deep fat fryers
• Premises with vulnerable occupants — hospitals, schools, care homes
• After enforcement action — if you have received a notice from the fire service
• When you lack in-house expertise — if no one in your organisation has the training to carry out a competent assessment

External assessors should hold a recognised qualification such as a certificate from the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) or be registered with a third-party certification scheme.

Fire Risk Assessment Checklist

Use this as a starting point — not a replacement for a thorough assessment:

Fire Prevention

• Are all ignition sources identified and controlled?
• Are flammable materials stored safely and quantities minimised?
• Is the no-smoking policy enforced?
• Are electrical installations tested (PAT testing, fixed wiring inspection)?
• Is arson prevention in place (secure bins, external lighting, secure access)?

Detection and Warning

• Is there an appropriate fire detection and alarm system?
• Is the alarm tested weekly?
• Is the system maintained at least every 6 months by a competent person?
• Can the alarm be heard in all parts of the premises?

Escape Routes

• Are all escape routes clearly signed and well-lit?
• Are escape routes free from obstruction at all times?
• Do all fire doors close properly and have intact seals and strips?
• Is emergency lighting installed and tested monthly?

Fire-Fighting Equipment

• Are the right types of extinguisher provided for the hazards present?
• Are extinguishers serviced annually?
• Are staff trained in their use?
• Is fixed fire-fighting equipment (sprinklers) maintained?

Emergency Plan and Training

• Is there a written emergency plan?
• Are fire drills carried out at least every 6 months (every 3 months for sleeping accommodation)?
• Are all staff trained on the evacuation procedure?
• Are fire wardens/marshals appointed and trained?

Managing Fire Safety Digitally

Keeping track of fire risk assessments, review dates, staff training records, fire drill logs, equipment testing schedules and remedial actions on paper quickly becomes unmanageable — especially across multiple sites. Missing a review date, forgetting to train a new starter, or losing track of a remedial action can lead to enforcement action and, more importantly, endanger lives.

Digital tools allow you to schedule and track every element of your fire safety management. Automated reminders ensure reviews are never missed, checklists guide inspections, and everything is documented and instantly accessible for fire service inspections.

Explore how Assistant Manager can help you manage fire risk assessments and fire safety compliance with our Risk Assessments feature. For day-to-day fire safety inspections and checks, see our Digital Checklists feature.