A fire risk assessment is not a document to file away for an inspection. It is the practical basis for keeping people safe if fire breaks out – and for showing that your organisation has met its duties. This fire risk assessment legal duties guide explains what duty holders need to do, when assessments must be reviewed, and where professional support is sensible.
For facilities managers, landlords, school leaders and business owners, the challenge is rarely a lack of concern. It is maintaining clear evidence, controlling changes across the premises and making sure fire precautions work in day-to-day conditions without disrupting operations.
Who is responsible for fire safety?
In most non-domestic premises in England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places duties on the “responsible person”. This is usually the employer if the workplace is under their control. It may also be the building owner, landlord, managing agent, occupier or another person with control over part of the premises.
More than one person can have fire safety responsibilities. In a multi-occupied building, for example, a managing agent may control common areas while individual tenants control their own units. Duties should be coordinated rather than assumed to sit with somebody else. Written clarity about who maintains alarms, emergency lighting, fire doors, extinguishers and escape routes avoids gaps that can become serious during an emergency.
The legal framework differs elsewhere in the UK. Scotland is governed primarily by the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and supporting regulations, while Northern Ireland has its own fire safety legislation. The core expectation remains similar: identify fire risks, provide suitable precautions and maintain them properly. If your estate operates across nations, use site-specific advice rather than applying one assessment process unchanged everywhere.
Fire risk assessment legal duties in practice
The responsible person must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. This means looking beyond a generic checklist and considering the actual people, layout, work activities and fire hazards at that site.
The assessment should identify fire hazards, the people at risk, and the measures needed to reduce the likelihood of fire and support safe evacuation. It must also consider how people would react in a real event. A clear corridor on the day of an inspection is not enough if deliveries, storage or temporary displays regularly obstruct it.
A suitable assessment will normally consider:
- ignition sources, such as electrical equipment, cooking facilities, hot works, heaters and smoking arrangements;
- fuel sources, including waste, paper records, packaging, furniture, flammable liquids and stored stock;
- people who may be at greater risk, such as visitors, lone workers, contractors, children, residents and people with reduced mobility;
- escape routes, alarm arrangements, emergency lighting, signage, fire doors, extinguishers and evacuation procedures.
The significant findings must be recorded where five or more people are employed, where a licence is in force, or where an alterations notice applies. Even where a written record is not expressly required, it is good practice. It provides evidence of the decisions made, actions required, completion dates and the person responsible for each task.
What does “suitable and sufficient” mean?
There is no single fire risk assessment template that is suitable for every workplace. A small, single-storey office with a handful of staff presents different risks from a care setting, school, warehouse, shared office building or premises with sleeping accommodation.
A suitable and sufficient assessment is proportionate, specific and capable of leading to action. It should not simply state that an alarm or extinguisher is present. It should establish whether the equipment is appropriate, accessible, serviced and understood by the people expected to use it.
Competence matters. The law does not always require an external assessor, but the person completing the assessment must have sufficient training, knowledge and experience to identify hazards and recommend effective control measures. Higher-risk sites, complex layouts, historic buildings, sleeping risks or premises with vulnerable occupants usually warrant a competent specialist assessment.
Using an external assessor does not remove the responsible person’s legal duty. The duty holder remains accountable for acting on the findings, arranging maintenance and ensuring staff understand the procedures. A good assessor will make this easier by providing a clear, prioritised report rather than a technical document with no practical route to completion.
Your duties do not end when the assessment is completed
Fire safety compliance depends on ongoing management. Equipment, premises and occupancy all change over time, so the controls identified in an assessment must be maintained and checked.
This includes keeping escape routes clear, ensuring fire doors close correctly, servicing fire extinguishers, testing alarm systems and emergency lighting, managing electrical safety, and providing staff with relevant instruction and training. Records should demonstrate that these arrangements are in place. If a fire authority asks for evidence, being able to produce current inspection records and a live action plan is far more useful than relying on verbal assurances.
Employers also have duties to provide employees with fire safety information. Staff need to know what the alarm sounds like, where to go, how to report concerns and what their role is during evacuation. Fire wardens may be appropriate depending on the size, layout and risk profile of the premises, but appointing them without training or a defined procedure will not satisfy the purpose.
Contractors and visitors should not be overlooked. A contractor carrying out hot works, for example, may introduce a short-term risk that needs controls such as permits, supervision and post-work checks. Visitors may need assistance during an evacuation, particularly where access arrangements are unfamiliar.
When should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
There is no universal legal expiry date for a fire risk assessment. It must be reviewed regularly and whenever it may no longer be valid. Many organisations set an annual review cycle as a practical control, but a review may be needed much sooner.
Trigger events include alterations to the building, new equipment or processes, changes in occupancy, a change in the people using the site, a fire or near miss, or recurring issues found during inspections. For example, converting storage space into an office, installing new electrical equipment, changing the use of a floor, or increasing the number of staff can all affect escape and fire precautions.
A review is not always a full reassessment. Minor changes may only require the existing assessment and action plan to be updated. Significant changes, particularly those affecting escape routes, compartmentation, alarm coverage or vulnerable occupants, may need a fresh assessment by a competent person.
Common compliance gaps on occupied sites
The most frequent problems are often straightforward but persistent. Fire doors may be wedged open for convenience, electrical leads may be overloaded, stock may creep into corridors, or extinguishers may be hidden by furniture. These are operational issues, which is why site-specific planning and regular checks matter.
Another common gap is treating fire safety as a separate task from general maintenance. A damaged fire door, failed emergency light or untested portable appliance may be spotted by different people at different times. Bringing these checks into a coordinated compliance schedule makes outstanding actions easier to manage and reduces duplicated site visits.
For landlords and managing agents, communication between tenants and common-area management is particularly important. Tenants need to understand their responsibilities, while the party controlling shared routes, lobbies and plant areas must ensure those areas remain safe. A fire risk assessment should reflect these boundaries clearly.
Making fire safety manageable
Start by confirming who the responsible person is for each premises and whether duties are shared. Keep the current fire risk assessment, action plan and service records in one accessible place. Assign every action to a named person, give it a realistic completion date and record when it has been closed.
Where specialist inspections are required, arrange them around the working day and give the provider accurate information about access, occupancy and any sensitive areas. This helps reduce disruption and produces a more useful assessment. Janus Safety Solutions supports organisations with practical fire risk assessments, fire extinguisher servicing and fire door inspections, planned around the needs of each site.
The most effective fire safety arrangements are visible in ordinary routines: clear exits, working equipment, trained people and actions that are followed through. If you are uncertain whether your assessment reflects the premises as they operate now, arranging a competent review is a sensible step before a minor gap becomes a serious risk.