How to Carry Out a Fire Risk Assessment: The 5 Steps

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A fire risk assessment is a structured look at your premises to work out what could start a fire, who could be harmed and what you need to do to prevent a fire and keep people safe. In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 says the “responsible person” must carry one out, record it and review it regularly. The government breaks it into five steps: identify the fire hazards, identify the people at risk, evaluate and reduce the risks, record your findings and plan and train, then review.

Fire wardens and marshals play a big part in steps 4 and 5. Our Fire Warden and Fire Marshal course covers fire legislation, fire risk assessment and emergency planning for those roles.

What is a fire risk assessment?

Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order requires a “suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks” so the responsible person can identify the fire precautions they need. The Order covers non-domestic premises: all workplaces and commercial premises, all premises the public have access to, and the common areas of multi-occupied residential buildings. Different rules apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Who is the responsible person?

According to GOV.UK, you are the responsible person if you are the employer, the owner, the landlord, an occupier or anyone else with control of the premises, such as a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent or risk assessor. In a workplace, article 3 of the Order makes the employer the responsible person to the extent the workplace is under their control.

Shared buildings often have more than one responsible person, who must co-ordinate their fire safety plans. For common areas it is the landlord, freeholder or managing agent.

The 5 steps of a fire risk assessment at a glance

Step	What you do
1. Identify fire hazards	Find sources of ignition, sources of fuel and sources of oxygen
2. Identify people at risk	Work out who could be harmed and who is especially at risk
3. Evaluate, remove or reduce the risk	Remove or reduce hazards, then protect people with escape routes, detection, warning and fire-fighting equipment
4. Record, plan and train	Record the assessment, prepare an emergency plan, inform and instruct people, and train staff
5. Review	Keep the assessment up to date, especially after changes, fires or near misses

Step 1: identify fire hazards

For a fire to start you need three things: a source of ignition, fuel and oxygen. Take one away and a fire cannot start, so this step is about finding where they could come together. The government guide for offices and shops suggests looking for:

Ignition sources: smoking materials, naked flames, heaters, hot work such as welding, cooking equipment, faulty or misused electrical equipment, lighting too close to stock, hot surfaces and arson.
Fuel: flammable liquids and solvents, flammable chemicals, packaging and paper, plastics and foam-filled furniture, textiles, waste such as shredded paper and wood shavings, and flammable gases such as LPG.
Oxygen: the air itself, ventilation systems, oxidising chemicals and oxygen cylinders used in processes such as welding.

Near misses, such as scorch marks or charred plugs, point to hazards you might otherwise miss.

Step 2: identify people at risk

Note where people work and who else uses the premises, such as customers, visitors and contractors. Pay particular attention to people especially at risk: those who work alone or in isolated areas (see our guide to lone working), people unfamiliar with the building, people with disabilities or anyone who may not be able to leave quickly, people in the immediate vicinity and people with language difficulties.

Step 3: evaluate, remove or reduce the risk

First, judge how likely a fire is and how smoke and fire could spread. Smoke travels through gaps, shafts and ducts and can block escape routes.

Next, remove the hazards you found in step 1 where reasonably practicable, or reduce them. Examples include replacing naked flame heaters, keeping combustibles away from heat, maintaining electrical and gas equipment, checking areas after hot work and keeping flammable stock to a minimum.

Finally, look at what protects people if a fire does start: escape routes and exits, fire detection and warning systems, emergency escape lighting, fire doors that are kept closed, safe storage of dangerous substances and the right types of fire extinguishers. Make sure your plans work for vulnerable people, including the elderly, young children and people with disabilities.

Step 4: record, plan, inform and train

Since 1 October 2023, every responsible person must record the fire risk assessment in full, whatever the size of the business. Before then, only some premises had to record their “significant findings”. The change came from section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, and the Home Office guidance gives the example of a sole trader shopkeeper who must now keep a written record. Your fire safety arrangements must be recorded too.

You also need an emergency plan based on the findings. In a small shop or office this may be no more than a fire action notice; in larger or shared buildings it will be more detailed. Staff must be told about the risks, the measures in place, what to do in a fire and who has fire safety duties, and their training should be repeated periodically and tested by fire drills.

The government guides say staff with a supervisory role in a fire, such as fire marshals or wardens, should be given details of the fire risk assessment and receive additional training. Our Fire Warden and Fire Marshal course is built for that role.

Step 5: review the assessment

The Order says the assessment must be reviewed regularly and in particular if there is reason to think it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. Typical triggers include:

changes to work processes or new equipment
building alterations or new storage of hazardous substances
failure of fire precautions such as alarms or sprinklers
a significant increase in the number of people present
a fire or a near miss

The law does not set a fixed review date, so it makes sense to note when you will next look at it as well as reviewing after any of these changes.

Can you do it yourself?

Yes. GOV.UK says you can do it yourself using the official guides, such as the one for offices and shops. If you lack the expertise or time, you need to appoint a competent person to help. Your local fire and rescue authority can give advice, but it cannot carry out the assessment for you.

If you would like support, our consultancy team can help with risk assessments, and our guide to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 explains the wider duties that sit alongside fire safety.

Recent changes: the Building Safety Act and the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022

As well as the recording rules above, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 strengthened the duty for responsible persons to co-operate and share information, and removed the previous £1,000 cap on fines for certain offences under the Order, so they are now unlimited.

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023 and apply to multi-occupied residential buildings in England. Residents must be given fire safety instructions and fire door information, buildings over 11 metres need quarterly checks of communal fire doors and annual checks of flat entrance doors, and high-rise buildings (at least 18 metres or 7 storeys) have further duties such as a secure information box and monthly checks on firefighting lifts. These extra duties do not apply to an ordinary workplace.

Construction sites have their own HSE guidance, HSG168 Fire safety in construction.

FAQs

What is a fire risk assessment?

A legal assessment of the fire risks in non-domestic premises, used to decide what precautions are needed. The responsible person must carry it out, record it and review it.

What are the 5 steps of a fire risk assessment?

Identify the fire hazards, identify people at risk, evaluate and remove or reduce the risks, record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training, then review and update the assessment regularly.

Who can carry out a fire risk assessment?

The responsible person can do it using the government guides, or appoint a competent person if they lack the expertise or time. The fire and rescue service can advise but will not do it for you.

Does a fire risk assessment have to be written down?

Yes. Since 1 October 2023 every responsible person in England and Wales must record the fire risk assessment in full, regardless of the number of employees.

How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?

Regularly, and particularly when it may no longer be valid or after a significant change, such as building work, new processes or a fire or near miss.

What happens if you do not have a fire risk assessment?

Fire and rescue authorities can inspect and issue fire safety notices, and breaking fire safety law can lead to a fine or prison.

A fire risk assessment only works if the people on site know how to act on it. Train your wardens and marshals with our Fire Warden and Fire Marshal course, ask our consultancy team about risk assessments, or call 0333 444 0018. Target Zero has more than 10,000 verified reviews on Reviews.io and a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot.