Fire Risk Assessment

Is it a legal requirement?

Yes, with few exceptions. Under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 a fire risk assessment is necessary in virtually all premises in England and Wales, other than domestic dwellings. Similar requirements apply in Scotland under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 in Northern Ireland under the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

The responsible person must make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

Who is the responsible person? ( open link to red text below)

The responsible person may be an employer, the owner, the occupier or a building manager. The Fire Safety Order specifies this as follows:

Meaning of “responsible person”

3. In this Order “responsible person” means—

  • in relation to a workplace, the employer, if the workplace is to any extent under his control;

  • (b) in relation to any premises not falling within paragraph (a)—

  • (i) the person who has control of the premises (as occupier or otherwise) in connection with the carrying on by him of a trade, business or other undertaking (for profit or not); or

  • (ii) the owner, where the person in control of the premises does not have control in connection with the carrying on by that person of a trade, business or other undertaking.

What is a fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment (FRA) involves a detailed systematic assessment/evaluation of the factors that determine the hazard from fire, the likelihood that there will be a fire and the consequences if one were to occur, most importantly to life risk. The FRA must be reflective of the complexity of the premises.

Competency of fire risk assessors

The responsible person has a legal requirement to ensure that the person undertaking the fire risk assessment is competent.

EAL’s consultants have extensive fire safety experience.

  • All have been serving fire officers, some with extensive experience in fire safety enforcement.

  • All are either Members or Graduates of The Institution of Fire Engineers.

  • Consultants have experience of conducting fire risk assessments in a wide range of premises/occupancy types including.

  • Residential: e.g. institutional and high rise flats

  • Offices

  • Shops/commercial premises

  • Places of public assembly and recreation e.g. schools

  • Industrial e.g. factories

  • Storage e.g. logistics warehouses

  • Heritage buildings

  • Construction sites

  • The team regularly review legal precedents, British Standard revisions and developments in fire safety legislation. As a member of The Fire Protection Association , EAL have access to all current fire safety information of national significance.

EAL are confident that the FRA process used and the competence of their assessors will assure you that any fire risk assessment has been carried out with due diligence from moral, legal and financial perspectives.

The FRA process 

The FRA would be undertaken to address the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for an assessment of the risk to life from fire and, as appropriate, to make recommendations to ensure compliance with fire safety legislation. As far as reasonably practicable it will also assess the risk to property and business continuity.

The process includes:

  • Preliminary information gathering well in advance of the FRA.

  • A meeting with the responsible person (RP) or their representative/s on site to explain the process and gather any additional information.

  • An audit of the fire safety records.

  • An inspection of the premises set against the criteria listed in sections 1 – 24 of the audit pro forma section of the FRA document.

  • A written report, which will include a record of all the significant findings and recommended actions. The report will be verified by another experienced fire risk assessor.

  • A follow up meeting to provide any additional clarification/guidance on the content of the report as required.

Please contact us to discuss your specific requirements and for a no – obligation quote from our team.