Is a Fire Risk Assessment mandatory?

It is mandatory by law to have a written Fire Risk Assessment if your location employs five or more individuals.

In order to fulfill your obligation under the current Fire Safety Legislation, it is mandatory that you have a documented Fire Risk Assessment if your premises have five or more employees.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the conduct of a Fire Risk Assessment initially and ongoing review to guarantee that proper and sufficient fire precautions are in place.

What exactly is a Fire Safety Risk Assessment?

A Fire Safety Risk Assessment is a systematic and organized examination of your premises, activities carried out, and the probability of a fire starting and causing harm to those within and around the premises. If there are fewer than five individuals regularly in the building, then documenting the fire risk assessment is not necessary.

The objective of a Fire Safety Risk Assessment is:To identify fire hazardsTo minimize the risk of those hazards causing harmTo determine the control measures that can be implemented to reduce or eliminate the identified fire hazards.

Do I require a Fire Safety Risk Assessment?

YES – legally, you must perform a suitable and sufficient Fire Safety Risk Assessment for your premises if you have five or more employees (including part-time or volunteer workers). You must keep a written record of your Fire Safety Risk Assessment. However, it is always best practice to keep a written record, even if you have fewer than five employees. Keeping a written record will save time and effort when you come to review and update your Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

The 5 Key Stages of Fire Safety Risk Assessment:

1-Identify fire hazards – identify any fire hazards, including ignition sources, fuel, and work processes that may pose a fire hazard.

2-Identify people at risk – determine who, such as employees and visitors, may be at risk during a fire in the workplace or while attempting to escape.

3-Evaluate the risk – evaluate the risks from the identified hazards and decide if existing precautions are adequate. Decisions should be made on whether to remove the hazard completely if possible, or to control and manage the risks more effectively.

4-Record your findings – record your findings, detail the actions taken, and inform all employees of these actions.

5- Review and revise – regularly review the Fire Safety Risk Assessment or whenever there is a change in the workplace or work activities.