A fire risk assessment is a structured review of your premises to identify fire hazards, determine who might be harmed, and decide what precautions you need. It's a legal requirement for almost all non-domestic premises in the UK.
Do you already have a fire risk assessment?
Let's point you to the right information.
What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a careful examination of your premises to identify:
- Fire hazards — things that could start a fire or help it spread
- People at risk — anyone who could be harmed if a fire occurred
- Existing precautions — what measures you already have in place
- Gaps and improvements — what more you need to do
The purpose isn't to create paperwork. It's to make sure that if a fire starts, people can get out safely and the damage is minimised.
A fire risk assessment is not a certificate or a one-off task. It's an ongoing process of identifying risks and managing them. The "assessment" is simply the documented record of that process.
The fire triangle — understanding fire hazards
For a fire to start and spread, three elements must be present:
- Heat (ignition source) — electrical equipment, heaters, cooking appliances, hot work, smoking materials, friction
- Fuel — paper, wood, textiles, flammable liquids, furniture, waste materials, packaging
- Oxygen — usually just air, but also oxygen cylinders, air conditioning, and ventilation systems
Your fire risk assessment looks for situations where these three elements could come together. Remove any one element, and a fire cannot start or continue.
This is why fire prevention focuses on keeping ignition sources away from fuel, storing flammable materials safely, and ensuring electrical equipment is maintained — you're breaking the fire triangle.
The 5 steps to fire risk assessment
The Health and Safety Executive recommends a five-step approach:
Step 1: Identify fire hazards
Walk through your premises and look for:
Sources of ignition:
- Electrical equipment (especially old or damaged)
- Heaters and heating systems
- Cooking equipment
- Smoking areas
- Hot work (welding, grinding)
- Naked flames
- Faulty or overloaded sockets
Sources of fuel:
- Paper, cardboard, packaging
- Furniture, curtains, carpets
- Flammable liquids and gases
- Waste materials
- Wooden structures
- Foam and plastic materials
Sources of oxygen:
- Natural air
- Oxygen cylinders (medical/industrial)
- Air conditioning systems
- Ventilation ducts
- Chemical oxidising agents
Step 2: Identify people at risk
Consider everyone who uses or visits your premises:
- Employees, especially those working alone or in isolated areas
- Visitors, customers, members of the public
- Contractors and delivery personnel
- Cleaners and security staff (often present outside normal hours)
- People who may need assistance evacuating:
- Those with mobility impairments
- Visually or hearing impaired people
- People unfamiliar with the building
- Children and elderly people
- Anyone who might be asleep
Step 3: Evaluate, remove, reduce, and protect
For each hazard you've identified:
- Can you remove it entirely? (Best option)
- Can you reduce the risk? (Substitute, separate, or control)
- Can you protect people from it? (Detection, warning, escape routes)
Consider whether your existing precautions are adequate:
- Detection and warning — Are smoke detectors, heat detectors, or fire alarm systems appropriate for the risk level?
- Escape routes — Can everyone get out quickly and safely? Are routes clear, lit, and signed?
- Fire fighting equipment — Do you have the right types of extinguishers in the right places?
- Emergency planning — Does everyone know what to do if the alarm sounds?
- Maintenance — Is fire safety equipment tested and maintained?
Step 4: Record your findings
If you have 5 or more employees, you must record:
- The significant findings of your assessment
- Any group of people identified as being especially at risk
- The fire safety measures you have in place
Even if you have fewer than 5 employees, keeping a record is strongly recommended. It demonstrates that you've taken fire safety seriously and provides a baseline for future reviews.
Step 5: Review and update regularly
Your fire risk assessment isn't a one-off task. Review it:
- At least annually (good practice)
- After any fire, near miss, or false alarm
- When you change the building layout or use
- When you introduce new processes, equipment, or substances
- When the number or type of people using the building changes
- If you think it may no longer be valid
Fire Safety Review Schedule
Activate a different call point each week and record the test
Visual check that all units are present and indicator lights show charged
Ensure all routes are clear, doors open freely, and signs are visible
Practice evacuation, time it, and note any issues
Full review of the assessment, update as needed
Professional service by competent person
Can I do my own fire risk assessment?
For many premises, yes — if you're competent to do so.
DIY vs Professional Assessment
Do It Yourself
- •Suitable for simple, low-risk premises
- •Small offices, shops, light industrial units
- •No sleeping accommodation
- •No vulnerable occupants
- •You have time to do it properly
- •Free government guides available
Use a Professional
Recommended- •Complex or large premises
- •Sleeping accommodation (hotels, care homes, HMOs)
- •Vulnerable occupants (elderly, disabled, children)
- •High fire risk activities
- •You're not confident assessing it yourself
- •Typically costs £150-500+
Bottom line: For simple premises, a DIY assessment using government guides is often adequate. For anything involving sleeping accommodation, vulnerable people, or complex risks, professional assessment is strongly recommended.
Government guides for DIY assessment
The government provides free fire safety risk assessment guides for different premises types:
- Offices and shops
- Factories and warehouses
- Sleeping accommodation
- Residential care premises
- Educational premises
- Small and medium places of assembly
- Large places of assembly
- Theatres and cinemas
- Healthcare premises
- Transport premises and facilities
These guides walk you through the assessment process step by step. They're available free from gov.uk.
Even if you do your own assessment, consider having a professional review it periodically. A fresh pair of expert eyes can spot things you might miss.
What should a fire risk assessment document contain?
A good fire risk assessment record includes:
Premises information:
- Address and description of the building
- Use of the premises
- Number of floors, layout overview
- Occupancy numbers and times
Assessment details:
- Date of assessment
- Name and competence of assessor
- Date for review
Findings:
- Fire hazards identified (ignition, fuel, oxygen sources)
- People at risk, including any who need assistance
- Existing fire safety measures
- Evaluation of whether measures are adequate
Action plan:
- Improvements needed
- Priority (high, medium, low)
- Person responsible
- Target completion date
- Completion date and sign-off
Supporting information:
- Floor plans showing escape routes, extinguisher locations, call points
- Records of staff training
- Emergency plan/evacuation procedure
Common fire risk assessment mistakes
Café owner fined £12,000 for fire safety failures
A café in a converted building had operated for several years without a proper fire risk assessment. During a routine inspection, fire officers found multiple issues.
- ✗No documented fire risk assessment
- ✗Fire exit partially blocked by stored items
- ✗No staff training on fire procedures
- ✗Fire extinguishers not serviced for 3 years
- ✗Missing fire exit signage
The owner was prosecuted and fined £12,000 plus costs. The café was also issued with an enforcement notice requiring immediate improvements.
Even small, seemingly low-risk premises need a documented fire risk assessment and basic fire safety measures. The costs of non-compliance far exceed the costs of getting it right.
Mistakes to avoid:
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Treating it as a one-off task — Fire risk assessment is an ongoing process, not a document you file and forget.
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Copying someone else's assessment — Every premises is different. A generic template might miss risks specific to your situation.
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Focusing on equipment, not people — The purpose is protecting people, not ticking boxes about extinguishers.
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Not involving staff — Employees often know about hazards that aren't obvious to an assessor.
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Ignoring the action plan — Identifying risks is pointless if you don't act on the findings.
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Forgetting about changes — New equipment, altered layouts, different staff — all trigger a review.
How much does a fire risk assessment cost?
Fire Risk Assessment Cost Guide
Estimate what you might pay for a professional fire risk assessment. Costs vary by premises type, size, and complexity.
These are estimated ranges based on typical UK prices. Actual costs depend on the assessor, location, and specific circumstances. Always get quotes from qualified fire risk assessors.
Frequently asked questions
For a small, simple premises (under 200m²), a professional assessment typically takes 1-2 hours on site, plus time to write up the report. Larger or more complex premises take longer. If you're doing it yourself, allow half a day to do it properly.
There's no fixed legal requirement, but annual review is considered good practice. You should also review immediately after any fire or near miss, when you make significant changes to the building or its use, or if you have reason to think the assessment is no longer valid.
The law requires the assessment to be carried out by a 'competent person' — someone with enough training and experience to identify fire hazards and evaluate risks. For simple premises, this could be you (using government guides). For complex or high-risk premises, use a qualified fire risk assessor.
Look for assessors registered with a professional body such as the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE), or holding third-party certification to a scheme like BAFE SP205. There's no single required qualification, but these demonstrate competence.
For a self-contained rental property with no shared areas, the Fire Safety Order generally doesn't apply. However, you still have duties under other legislation (smoke alarms, gas/electrical safety). If there are shared common areas, those areas do need a fire risk assessment.
You could face enforcement action from your local fire and rescue service, including enforcement notices, prohibition notices (preventing use of the premises), and prosecution. Penalties include unlimited fines and up to 2 years imprisonment for serious breaches.
Yes. Fire safety enforcement is proactive, not just reactive. Fire services conduct risk-based inspections and can take action if they find inadequate fire safety measures, regardless of whether a fire has occurred.
No. Fire certificates were abolished in 2006 when the Fire Safety Order came into force. If you have an old fire certificate, it's no longer valid. You need a fire risk assessment instead.
Next steps
If you're not sure whether you need a fire risk assessment, use our decision tool:
Do I need a fire risk assessment? →
If you're ready to get started, download our fire safety checklist:
Want certainty that your fire risk assessment is adequate? A qualified fire risk assessor can review your premises and give you confidence that you're meeting your legal duties.
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