Short answer. A fire risk assessment is a structured walk-through of your premises to identify fire hazards, the people at risk, and the adequacy of your existing fire safety measures and escape routes. It ends in a written report with a prioritised action plan, which since October 2023 you must keep in full regardless of how many people you employ.
A good assessor does not just turn up and start measuring things. Before the site visit, they will want to understand the premises and the operation: what the building is used for, how many people work there, the opening hours, and any known issues.
This is not busywork. It helps the assessor plan the visit efficiently and look for the right things once they arrive.
The site assessment is the main event. The assessor walks through every part of the premises, including the parts an occupier would rather they didn't see: the dusty storeroom, the kitchen nobody cleans properly, the fire door propped open with a bin. They are looking at five things.
Fire hazards. What could start a fire: sources of ignition (heaters, electrical equipment, cooking, hot works), sources of fuel (paper, cardboard, chemicals, fabrics) and sources of oxygen (ventilation, oxidising chemicals), and how those three interact in that specific building.
People at risk. Employees, visitors, contractors, anyone sleeping on the premises (care homes, hotels, HMOs), and anyone who might be especially vulnerable. A fire risk assessment is about the people in the building as much as the building itself.
Existing fire safety measures. Detection and alarm systems, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, fire doors, compartmentation, signage and sprinkler systems. The assessor checks what is there, whether it is adequate, and whether it actually works.
Means of escape. Travel distances, the number and width of exits, escape routes, signage, emergency lighting along escape routes and assembly points. This is often where the most significant findings come from: blocked exits, locked doors, poor signage, or escape routes that are too long for the risk.
Management and maintenance. Training records, fire drill records, maintenance logs for alarms and extinguishers, documented fire procedures and nominated fire wardens. The best fire safety equipment counts for very little if nobody is trained to use it.
After the walk-through, the assessor documents their findings. This is the part some premises managers dread, but it shouldn't be: it is where the real value of the assessment sits, in a clear set of improvements that reduce the risk of fire.
Findings are typically categorised by risk level: high, medium and low. A propped-open fire door on a main escape route is high risk; a missing fire action notice in a low-occupancy area is low. Each finding comes with a recommended action and a timescale for completion. The aim is not to catch anyone out, but to give a clear, prioritised list of what needs fixing and in what order.
The written fire risk assessment report is the document that demonstrates compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Since 1 October 2023, changes made by the Building Safety Act 2022 mean every responsible person must record their full fire risk assessment, not just the significant findings, regardless of how many people they employ, and must also record the name of the person who carried it out.
A complete report should include:
Keep this document. It is the evidence of compliance, and when the fire and rescue authority carries out an inspection, which it can do unannounced under its Article 27 powers of entry, it is the first thing they will ask for.
A small office might take a couple of hours; a large warehouse, multi-storey hotel or care home could take a full day or longer. The complexity of the building, the number of occupants and the nature of the activities all affect the time needed. A rushed assessment for a complex building is not a fire risk assessment, it is a liability.
There is no fixed legal interval for review, but the general guidance is to review the assessment annually and immediately after any significant change: building works, a change of use, new equipment, a fire or near-miss, or a change in the number or type of occupants.
A fire risk assessment is not a box-ticking exercise. Done properly, it is a structured evaluation of the fire risks in a building that gives a clear, actionable plan to protect the people who work there. York Green's fire risk assessment service covers the full survey, the written report and the recording duty that came into force in 2023.