• Identify potential fire hazards in the workplace.

• Identify who might be in danger in the event of a fire (e.g. employees, visitors) either in the workplace or while trying to escape from it and note their location.

• Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide whether existing fire precautions are adequate or whether more should be done to eliminate the hazard or to control the risks (e.g. by improving the fire precautions).

• Record significant findings of the risk assessment and details of the resulting action taken and advise employees of the findings. (Whilst there may be no legal requirement to record the findings in circumstances where there are less than 5 employees, a written record is strongly recommended).

• Keep the assessment under review and revise it when necessary.

 

Detailed guidance on the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and the subject of fire risk assessment can be obtained from https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fire-safety-law-and-guidance-documents-for-business. Recommendations on how to carry out a fire risk assessment are contained in BSI PAS 79 – 1/2: 2020: Fire Risk Assessment – Code of Practice, available from the British Standards Institute. For Scotland the legislation/link is the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the associated Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 https://www.gov.scot/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-forms-and-guidance/ and, for Northern Ireland, Part 3 of the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and the Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010 Business Fire Safety Legislation Advice - Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2010/325/made.

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In the event that it is decided to commission the services of a fire risk assessor to assist with the risk assessment, it is recommended that such persons or companies are selected from an established fire safety sector of a third-party certification or registration scheme, such as the following:

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• BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) Life Safety Fire Risk Assessment Scheme SP205 – https://www.bafe.org.uk/

• Warrington Certification Fire Risk Assessors Certification Scheme (FRACS) - https://www.warringtonfire.com/certification-services/fire-certification/fracs

• Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Register of Fire Risk Assessors and Auditors – https://www.ife.org.uk/Fire-Risk-Assessors-Register

• The Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) Register - https://www.ifsm.org.uk/fire-risk-assessors/

• Further information can be found in A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor published by the Fire Sector Federation, available at www.firesectorfederation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FSF_Guide_V2.pdf​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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