Fire risk assessments
To help you carry out a fire risk assessment, the Department of Communities and Local Government has produced ‘A Short Guide to Making your Premises Safe from Fire’. This booklet will give you a general understanding of basic fire safety principles and the methodology of carrying out a fire risk assessment.
It has also produced a series of technical risk assessment guides relating to specific types of business premises, eg offices and shops, factories and warehouses, residential care premises, theatres and cinemas. You should select the guide most appropriate for your business and use this as a basis for completing your own fire risk assessment.
A fire risk assessment is an organised and methodical look at your premises, the activities carried out there and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises. This must be carried out by the responsible person or a competent person appointed to undertake a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of the risks of fire to their employees and others who may be affected by their work or business. You may find our 'Related Documents' helpful.
The aims of the fire risk assessment are:
- To identify the fire hazards.
- To reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm.
- To decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your building if a fire does start.
If your organisation employs five or more people, or your premises are licensed or an Alterations Notice is in force, then you must record the significant findings of the fire risk assessment, the actions to be taken as a result of the assessment and details of anyone especially at risk. You will probably find it helpful to keep a record of the significant findings of your fire risk assessment even if you are not required to do so.
Read our guidance document for more information about how to carry out a fire risk assessment on your premises.
