Do All Buildings Need a Fire Risk Assessment?

Fire at workplaces has been a serious concern for regulatory authorities all around the world. A watchful study of fire incidents reflects that quite a number of fire accidents occur at various workplaces every year, which involve loss of property, businesses, assets and even human lives, apart from injuries to so many persons.

The fire had factually damaged many businesses to the extent that they could not come back and eventually had to wind up. The increasing number of fire incidents triggered the need for regulatory reforms to reduce such instances to save people and properties. The relevant authorities in the UK had therefore promulgated a comprehensive law on fire safety at workplaces. The law is commonly known as Regulatory Reforms (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Per the provisions of this law, every business place is legally required to conduct a fire risk assessment regularly.

What is Meant by Fire Risk Assessment?

A fire risk assessment is a careful and in-depth study of risks and hazards associated with the possibility of a fire eruption at a particular building. It is a survey of the entire building to assess what are and where are the potential threats of a fire eruption. It also deals with the remedial steps that can be taken to avoid such an incident and the placement of firefighting plans if at all, a fire occurs there.

Three basic elements may start a fire. These are the source of ignition, the presence of inflammable substances and oxygen. So, the fire risk assessment should essentially survey the building to see the presence of these basic elements that may trigger a fire. The role of the assessor would ideally be to identify these hazards and suggest how to reduce or eliminate these hazards to make the building risk-free.

What is Included in a Fire Risk Assessment?

A fire risk assessment has a set of compulsory steps an assessor must take. Let’s have a look at them:

• First, the assessor must identify the fire hazards at the workplace. A fire hazard may be any such material that can cause a fire. It may include any substance that can catch fire instantly, such as paper, wood or plastic. Secondly, he needs to identify such materials that can trigger an ignition. This may include an electric spark from faulty electrical equipment or a flame such as a cigarette lighter.
• The second step is to identify the people who are at risk of being affected by a fire. The assessor will see which of the employees are more susceptible to a fire incident, such as people sitting near the potential fire hazards. Additionally, senior citizens, people with known disabilities and children may be more susceptible and at high risk in case of a fire incident.
• Once the fire hazards and people at risk have been identified, the next step is to evaluate the risks. This may include a survey of the workplace to see how much the chances of a fire at this workplace are. The assessor needs to evaluate it and will have to suggest the ways on how these risks can be minimized, if not totally removable. Practically, there cannot be a property with zero risks, but the assessor has to be optimistic so as to make the workplace risk-free to the maximum possible extent.
• Next, he needs to record all the findings, suggestions and plans in the shape of a document. This should be preserved either as a paper document or in digital form.
• Finally, the assessor needs to make sure to review the fire risk assessment regularly, at least once a year.

Is Fire Risk Assessment a Legal Requirement?

Under the provisions of the basic law, commonly known as Fire Safety Order 2005, the responsible person has a legal duty to conduct a Fire Risk Assessment on the property under his control. A responsible person may be the owner or an employee or any other person nominated by the owner or manager of the workplace to conduct a fire risk assessment.

The law is however silent on the qualification of the responsible person. But ideally, the responsible person should be having at least a basic knowledge of fire safety. Under a most recent amendment, applicable from the 1st of October 2023, the role and responsibilities of the responsible person have been extended. Now the responsible person is legally bound to:

• Record invariably his findings, suggestions and plans, irrespective of the size of the building and the number of employees. Previously it was binding on him in a workplace with more than five employees.
• He is now required to coordinate and disclose his identity to all the other responsible persons in the same building.
• He is required to share the fire risk assessment details with all the occupants of the building. This may include instructions on how the residents should report a fire and how they should evacuate the building in case of a fire. He is also required to share with residents of the multi-occupied residential buildings the risks identified in the fire risk assessment and the preventive measures he suggested.

The legal duties of the responsible person have been quite elaborately specified in the above-said amendment, applicable from the 1st of October 2023. It’s a long list of responsibilities, out of which a few have been discussed above.

Apart from the roles and responsibilities of the responsible persons, various other changes have also been made in the fire safety order.

How Often a Fire Risk Assessment is Legally Required?

The Fire Safety Order 2005 does not specify a time frame for conducting or reviewing a fire risk assessment. However, the guidelines provided by the firefighting department require that the fire risk assessment should be reviewed in the following instances:

• A Fire Risk Assessment should be reviewed regularly but at least once every 12 months.
• When there is a significant change in the layout of the building.
• When there is a noticeable change in the structure of the premises.
• If there is a considerable change in the number of employees.
• If there is a change in the role of the majority of the employees.
• If ordered by the local firefighting department after having inspected the building.
• A completely fresh Fire Risk Assessment must be carried out after 5 years of the initial assessment.

Do All Buildings Need a Fire Risk Assessment?

The relevant law requires that all non-domestic properties should have a Fire Risk Assessment conducted on a regular basis. So, the law is applicable to all commercial and business properties. As such the law is not applicable to residential properties such as individual homes.  

However, the law also applies to multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more residential blocks of flats. After an amendment, the scope of this law was extended to the common areas and gates of the multi-occupied residential buildings, including the staircase.  

After the implementation of changes in section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, effective from 1st October 2023, high-rise buildings have also been brought under the ambit of the Fire Safety Order 2005 and now they are required to be registered with the building safety regulator (BSR).

A high-rise building is a building having seven or more stories or a height of more than 18 meters. Further, it also applies to high-rise buildings having more than two residential units or a hospital. So, practically, the requirement of Fire Safety Assessment is applicable to almost all properties with the exception of individual homes.

Conclusion

The risk of fire is something that cannot be ignored. Fire can start at any time, at any place, without a warning. That makes it necessary for the owners of the workplaces to ensure maximum protection of the occupants against the risk of fire so that they may work and reside without fear of fire.

Fire Risk Assessment is one of the legal requirements every building owner must adhere to. A fire risk assessment is meant for the safety of the occupants against the possibility of a fire eruption. Implementation of the findings and suggestion of the risk assessor can considerably reduce the fire risk, though a zero risk may not be practicable.

So, if you are an owner or manager or are appointed as a responsible person for a particular building, you are legally bound to conduct a fire risk assessment regularly. And more importantly, remember all non-domestic properties are required to have a Fire Risk Assessment conducted regularly.