Five steps to fire risk assessment

• Start by considering the hazards you identified in step one. You now need to remove those hazards if possible.
• If you cannot remove them, then you need to reduce the risk as much as possible. This will help prevent a fire and the spread of fire. For example, you could separate the potential fuel sources from the ignition sources.

You need to consider how you keep people safe in the event of a fire on the premises. Even if you have never had a fire before, it does not mean it will never happen.

Use the information you gathered in step two to identify the measures needed to ensure people can escape quickly and safely. This should form part of your fire safety plan.

Use these questions to guide you.

How will a fire be detected?

• Consider any areas where a fire could start and develop without anyone noticing.

How you will ensure everyone is alerted to a fire on the premises?

• Consider where they are and what they are doing.
• Who will be responsible for calling the fire service?

Could a small fire be extinguished to prevent it from developing into a larger fire?

• The safe use of an appropriate fire extinguisher on a small fire can prevent it from growing out of control.
• You should consider the type, location and number of extinguishers required, based on your fire risk assessment.

Will people be able to find the fire exits?

• What happens if the premises lights go out? Consider escape signage and emergency escape lighting.

Are there enough exit doors to allow all occupants to safely leave the building in the event of a fire?

• See our guidance on how to calculate your building capacity.

Are your escape routes usable, and suitable and do they lead to a place of total safety?

• Escape routes should be easily available for use in an emergency. Do not padlock or block them.
• They need to be suitable for anyone on your premises who may need to use them.
• They should not lead people to a place where there is no further escape, such as an enclosed yard.

Would people have to go past a fire to reach a final exit?

Consider the parts of your premises where there is only one escape route. This may be from a room, a floor, a corridor or a staircase. The further people have to travel the more likely you will need to provide a protective fire barrier. This is typically known as a protective route consisting of fire doors and fire-resisting construction (walls, floors and ceilings).

Ideally, in the event of fire people should be able to see it, turn their back on it and reach a place of total safety.

Where this isn’t possible, due to the size and layout of the premises, you will need to put in place measures which will prevent people from becoming trapped by fire and smoke. Larger and more complex premises may require more thorough consideration.

All businesses with premises (whatever their size) are now required by law to have a written fire risk assessment and a record of the fire safety arrangements in place.

The whole fire risk assessment must now be recorded in full and not just the significant findings. You must also identify the details of any person who is involved in completing or reviewing the fire risk assessment. If you are no longer going to be the responsible person, for example the building is being sold, your fire risk assessment and other information must be shared with the incoming person.

This record can be digital or a paper copy. It needs to be easily available so that anyone you have appointed to manage fire safety at the premises can carry out their duties.

Any measures that you have identified need to be put in place should be actioned as soon as possible. This may require you to put in place temporary measures until a more permanent solution can be provided.

It's also a good idea to have a plan of your premises, detailing the fire precautions you have put in place. This will also help you when carrying out a review.

Your plan should detail what people need to do in the event of a fire on the premises. Base your emergency plan on the outcome of your fire risk assessment. Include procedures for the safe evacuation of people who may need assistance. Your emergency plan should not rely on any intervention from the fire service.

In simple premises, the emergency plan may be no more than a fire action notice. In shared or more complex premises, the emergency plan will need to be more detailed. Identifying those who have specific roles, such as fire wardens.

Provide training to your staff on how to prevent fires and what they should do if there is a fire. Include the importance of any fire safety features installed on your premises e.g. fire doors.

Make sure you include staff that work outside of normal business hours, such as night staff and cleaners, along with temporary or agency staff.

When providing information and instruction about your fire safety measures you will also need to consider anyone else who may visit or stay on your premises. For example, contractors, anyone hiring the premises, guests. 

The information, instruction and training you give must be in a way that can be used and clearly understood. Best practice is to keep training up-to-date and carry out fire drills.

Fire safety measures in place should be regularly tested and maintained to ensure they perform as expected in the event of a fire.