Fire risk assessment

The fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment identifies workplace fire hazards, evaluates the likelihood and potential impact of a fire, and recommends measures to reduce or eliminate risks.

You're required to carry out a fire risk assessment under fire safety legislation. To do this, you must physically inspect your premises to identify potential fire hazards and plan how to reduce these risks.

This process allows you to establish fire safety procedures, fire prevention measures, and fire precautions (such as plans, systems, and equipment), which you should regularly review and maintain so that they remain effective.

The fire risk assessment must follow the same 5-step approach to risk assessments as recommended by the Health and Safety Executive:

1. Identifying fire hazards

2. Decide who might be harmed and how

3. Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing measures are good enough

4. Record your findings and apply them

5. Review your assessment and change it if necessary

Which laws apply?

• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.
• The Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 and Part 3 of the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.