Fire Risk Assessments
A fire risk assessment is required by law for all buildings that are not private residences. This includes workplaces, shops, communal spaces within residential complexes and public buildings.
In England and Wales, the main piece of legislation regarding fire risk assessments is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. This places various responsibilities on 'the Responsible Person’ for a premises to reduce the risk to life by fire within a building.
This includes the undertaking of a ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessment that should:
Identify the fire hazards.
Identify people at risk.
Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.
Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training
Once complete, these assessments should then be reviewed and updated annually or when any material changes occur at a premises - be that physical or operational changes.
For most people, this presents a few questions, including:
What does ‘suitable and sufficient’ mean?
Fire risk assessments need to be specific to the property assessed and proportionate to hazards and level of risk present. For example, a more in depth fire risk assessment will be needed for a manufacturing environment than a corner shop. The information provided needs to be to a suitable depth; a tick box assessment of a high risk premises is not good enough.
Can anyone undertake a fire risk assessment? What happens if I don’t do it, or if I get it wrong?
Yes, they can, provided that they are appropriately competent. This means that they need to have relevant experience, qualification and/or accreditation that has provided them with the skills and knowledge at the right level for the building they’re assessing.
The UK Government website, Gov.UK, provides templates and guides to help Responsible People undertake their own assessments, however there is one crucial point: if you undertake the assessment, you are legally liable for this document and its findings. If a fire risk assessment is found to be inadequate and in violation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 there are consequences including up to £5,000 fine for minor beaches, or unlimited fines and up to 2 years imprisonment for major breaches. Away from legal consequences, a poor fire risk assessment can result in increased property damage, injury and even death through failure to mitigate fire risk appropriately.
It is therefore important to balance the cost-saving with competency.
I want help from an external fire risk assessor - how do I choose them?
It’s essential that you’re confident with the competency of the fire risk assessor you choose to appoint. There have been many high profile, fatal fires that potentially could have been avoided if an appropriate fire risk assessor had identified hazards present and the mitigation measures needed. Until the recent implementation of BS 8674:2025, there was a lot of ambiguity around objectively determining assessor competency.
A reliable way of choosing a fire risk assessor is to use a one of the fire risk assessor registers maintained by industry bodies, including the Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE) and the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM). Members of these registers have to undergo an application process during which their competency is assessed by an independent party and if successful, they are awarded a place on the register proportionate to their level of experience. For example, the IFSM’s register has assessors at the following levels:
-Foundation: Early career assessors that can assess low risk properties such as small shops, offices, low rise residential blocks and village halls.
-Intermediate: Moderate risk premises such as hotels, care settings, multi-occupancy offices and more complex buildings.
-Advanced level: Experienced professionals that can assess high risk buildings such as hospitals, locations with vulnerable occupants or those with significant fire hazards.
Accreditation can be checked on each organisation’s website by searching your assessor’s name/company name. It’s always wise to check these registers, even if an assessor has an organisation’s logo on their webpage…anyone can copy and paste!
Why Choose Second Sight Risk Management for your Fire Risk Assessment?
Good question! There’s a few reasons:
Registered on the National Fire Risk Assessor Register (NFRAR) at Foundation Level. We have been externally assessed as being competent in assessing low risk occupancies including offices, village halls, shops and low rise residential blocks.
Qualified to SCQF Level 10/RQF Level 6, higher than most fire risk assessment qualifications (typically RQF Level 3 or 4).
Small, Devon based business. Low overheads, lower prices and accountability that national companies often can’t offer.
Extensive experience as an Insurance Risk Surveyor and can advise on insurance industry approved mitigation methods and perception of hazards.
Flexible hours - need a survey after business hours? No problem.
Associate Member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) and Member of the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management. This is achieved by assessment of professional experience and qualification, and requires continued professional development and learning.
Study completed in 2025; we have knowledge of the most up-to-date legislation and guidance.
Assessments carried out to PAS 79-1:2020 standards, which is the industry recognised best practice.
Much more than a tick-box exercise; reports include explanations of assessment and recommendations.
Fully insured with public liability and professional indemnity insurances to £2 million.
If you need a fire risk assessment or risk management advice, get in touch today!
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