What Is a Fire Risk Assessment? The 5 Steps Explained

A fire risk assessment is a structured examination of a premises, the potential fire hazards within it and the measures needed to protect people from fire.

For businesses, it forms an important part of managing workplace fire safety. Rather than simply producing a compliance document, an effective fire risk assessment should help you understand where fires could start, who could be affected and whether your existing fire precautions are appropriate.

In England and Wales, fire-safety duties for most non-domestic premises are primarily governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Different fire-safety legislation applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

If your organisation requires professional assistance, Spiers can coordinate fire risk assessment services for industrial and commercial premises.

What Is the Purpose of a Fire Risk Assessment?

The fundamental purpose of a fire risk assessment is to protect people.

This means considering how a fire could start, how it could develop and what effect it could have on employees, contractors, visitors and anyone else who may be at risk.

The assessment should also consider the measures already in place to prevent fire and protect people if one occurs.

Depending on the premises, this could include:

• Fire detection and warning systems
• Emergency routes and exits
• Emergency lighting and signage
• Firefighting equipment
• Fire doors and compartmentation
• Storage of combustible and flammable materials
• Emergency procedures
• Fire-safety training and information
• Inspection and maintenance arrangements
• Arrangements for people who may require additional assistance

The assessment should identify deficiencies and establish actions where improvements are necessary.

What Are the 5 Steps of a Fire Risk Assessment?

Fire risk assessment guidance generally follows five connected steps.

1. Identify Fire Hazards

The first step is identifying the things that could contribute to a fire.

For a fire to occur, there will normally need to be a source of ignition, fuel and oxygen.

Potential ignition sources in a workplace could include electrical equipment, machinery, heating equipment, hot work, cooking equipment, smoking materials or processes that generate heat or sparks.

Sources of fuel might include packaging, timber, paper, waste, oils, solvents, paints, gases and other combustible or flammable materials.

Industrial premises may require particular attention because manufacturing and engineering processes can introduce hazards that are not typically found in simpler commercial environments. Our guide to fire risk assessments for factories and warehouses explores these industrial considerations in more detail.

2. Identify People at Risk

The next stage considers who could be harmed if a fire occurred.

This can include:

• Employees
• Contractors
• Visitors
• Customers
• Lone workers
• People working in isolates areas
• People unfamiliar whith the premises
• People who may require assistance to evacuate

It is not enough simply to calculate how many people occupy the building. The assessment needs to consider where people are likely to be and whether they could safely respond to and escape from a fire.

3. Evaluate, Remove or Reduce the Risks

Once the hazards and people at risk have been identified, the existing fire precautions need to be evaluated.

Where possible, fire hazards should be eliminated. Where elimination is not reasonably achievable, the risk should be reduced and appropriately controlled.

For example, this could involve changing how flammable materials are stored, separating combustible materials from ignition sources, improving housekeeping or reviewing particular work activities.

The assessment should also consider whether suitable measures are available to protect people.

These may include fire detection and warning, escape routes, emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, signage and suitable maintenance arrangements.

4. Record, Plan, Inform and Train

The findings of the fire risk assessment need to translate into practical fire-safety arrangements.

This includes recording the assessment and identified actions, establishing suitable emergency procedures and ensuring relevant people understand what they need to do.

Employees should receive appropriate information and instruction, while fire-safety training and drills should reflect the premises and its risks.

Where multiple organisations or dutyholders share a building, cooperation and coordination can also be necessary.

5. Review and Update the Assessment

A fire risk assessment is not something that should simply be completed, filed away and forgotten.

It needs to remain relevant to the premises and the activities taking place there.

Changes to buildings, equipment, processes, occupancy, substances or fire precautions can all affect the assessment.

A significant incident or near miss may also indicate that existing arrangements need to be reconsidered.

There is also no single universal annual reassessment interval for every premises. Read our guide to how often a fire risk assessment should be reviewed for more information about review periods and the changes that can trigger a review.

Who Is Responsible for the Fire Risk Assessment?

Responsibility depends partly on where in the UK the premises are located.

In England and Wales, the term Responsible Person is used. Depending on the circumstances, this can include an employer and other people or organisations that have control over premises.

Where more than one Responsible Person exists, they may need to cooperate and coordinate their fire-safety arrangements.

The dutyholder can obtain professional assistance from a competent fire risk assessor, particularly where the premises or risks are complex.

However, appointing an external assessor does not simply transfer the organisation's legal responsibilities to that assessor.

Can You Carry Out a Fire Risk Assessment Yourself?

For relatively straightforward premises, a person with sufficient knowledge and competence may be able to undertake the assessment themselves.

However, professional assistance may be appropriate where the person responsible does not have sufficient expertise or where the premises and risks are more complicated.

This can be particularly relevant to factories, warehouses, engineering businesses and manufacturing environments.

For example, the presence of flammable liquids, gases, combustible dusts or other dangerous substances may introduce additional considerations under the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR).

A general fire risk assessment may recognise these hazards, but that does not mean it automatically constitutes a DSEAR assessment.

Similarly, where substances can create risks to health through exposure, separate COSHH assessment requirements may also need to be considered.

What Should a Fire Risk Assessment Produce?

A useful fire risk assessment should leave the organisation with a clear understanding of its risks and what needs to happen next.

Typically, this means documented findings covering the hazards identified, people at risk, existing precautions and any further measures required.

Where deficiencies are identified, actions should be clear enough to assign, prioritise and manage.

The result should therefore be more than a checklist. It should provide a practical basis for ongoing fire-safety management.

Need Support With a Fire Risk Assessment?

For larger, industrial or more complex premises, obtaining competent fire-safety support can help ensure the assessment reflects the actual activities and hazards present.

Spiers Engineering Safety coordinates professional fire risk assessments for factories, warehouses, workshops, commercial premises and multi-site organisations across the UK.

Where activities also involve hazardous or dangerous substances, we can help coordinate connected COSHH, DSEAR and fire-safety requirements while maintaining the appropriate scope for each assessment.