Workplace Fire Safety and Fire Risk Assessment

Fire Safety in Brief

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales
Fire risk assessment in writing for employers of five or more
Fire detection, alarm, escape and means of fighting suitable to the building

Fire Safety at Work

Fire safety covers preventing fires from starting, detecting them quickly if they do, containing them, alerting people, and evacuating safely. Every UK workplace has legal duties to assess fire risk and put suitable arrangements in place - regardless of size, sector, or how low the fire risk seems to be.

The consequences of getting fire safety wrong are severe in human terms and in legal terms. The Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 changed public and regulatory attention on building fire safety, and the legal framework has been tightened several times since. Workplaces of all types need to take fire safety seriously, not just those in obviously high-risk industries.

What Fire Safety Law Requires

In the UK (England and Wales), fire safety in non-domestic premises is governed primarily by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) - often called the "Fire Safety Order". The FSO places duties on the "Responsible Person" - the employer, occupier, or person with control over the premises - to:

Carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment.
Put in place appropriate fire safety measures to eliminate or reduce the risks identified.
Record findings where the organisation has five or more employees, or is subject to a licensing regime.
Plan for emergencies and provide clear emergency procedures.
Provide information, instruction and training to employees.
Maintain fire safety equipment and installations.

The Fire Safety Act 2021 clarified that the FSO applies to the structure, external walls and common parts of multi-occupancy residential buildings - relevant for landlords and managing agents of blocks of flats. The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced further duties for "higher-risk buildings" (typically high-rise residential blocks) under the new regulator.

In Scotland, fire safety is covered by the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. In Northern Ireland, it is the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

The Fire Risk Assessment

The fire risk assessment is the foundation of workplace fire safety. HSE and the UK fire service promote a five-step approach:

Identify fire hazards - sources of ignition (heat, sparks, flames, electrical faults, smoking), sources of fuel (anything that burns - stock, waste, furnishings, insulation, flammable liquids), and sources of oxygen (natural ventilation, medical oxygen, oxidising chemicals).
Identify people at risk - employees, visitors, contractors, members of the public, and people with mobility or sensory needs who may need specific evacuation arrangements.
Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks - eliminate ignition sources where possible, control combustibles, separate fuel from ignition, maintain electrical installations, manage hot work.
Record findings, prepare an emergency plan, and train people - keep evacuation procedures clear, brief new starters, run drills.
Review and revise - whenever the workplace, activities, or people change significantly, or at least annually in most workplaces.

The assessment must be "suitable and sufficient" - not a one-page tick box. For higher-risk buildings or complex premises, it typically needs a competent fire risk assessor rather than a self-assessment by the employer.

Fire Detection, Warning and Evacuation

A workplace needs a joined-up approach to detecting fires, alerting people, and getting them out safely:

Fire detection - smoke and heat detectors appropriate to the risk, installed to a recognised standard (BS 5839-1 for commercial premises). Regular testing is essential.
Fire alarm systems - audible across the premises, with visual alarms in noisy environments or where people may not hear. Weekly testing is standard, with a log kept.
Emergency escape routes - clearly signed, adequately lit (including emergency lighting), kept clear, protected from fire and smoke.
Assembly points - clearly identified, at a safe distance, with a system for accounting for people.
Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) - for workers, visitors or residents who cannot self-evacuate, covering the specific arrangements for their escape.
Fire wardens - trained staff who take lead roles during an emergency, check their zones, and report to the incident controller.

Fire Extinguishers and Firefighting Equipment

Firefighting equipment is for use by trained occupants to tackle small fires only, or to protect an escape route. It is not a substitute for evacuation. Key requirements:

Suitable type - water, foam, CO2, dry powder and wet chemical extinguishers each suit different fire classes. An office typically needs water or foam for Class A fires, plus CO2 near electrical equipment. A kitchen needs wet chemical for cooking oils (Class F).
Correctly sited - near exits, on escape routes, visible and unobstructed, at heights accessible by any likely user.
Regular inspection - a competent person to BS 5306 annual service, plus monthly visual checks by an appointed person on site.
Staff training - at least basic awareness of what each extinguisher type does. Hands-on training is valuable but should reinforce the "evacuate first, fight fire only if safe" principle.

Other firefighting equipment includes fire blankets in kitchens, sprinkler systems in higher-risk premises, and fixed suppression systems for specific hazards such as server rooms.

Fire safety is one of the few workplace H&S topics where the responsible person has a named legal role that can carry personal liability. The FSO makes this explicit - it is not delegated just by appointing a fire marshal or outsourcing the risk assessment. Directors and managers need to understand that responsibility personally, not just sign it off.

The most common fire risk assessment failing I see is treating it as a document rather than an active process. A risk assessment done three years ago and filed is worthless if the warehouse layout has changed, new equipment has been installed, or the building is being used differently. Annual review is a minimum, and any significant change should trigger a fresh look.

And on evacuation drills - they need to be real. Giving everyone advance warning defeats the purpose. A properly run drill should simulate unexpected circumstances, test the alarm, time the evacuation, and produce a report of what worked and what did not. Too many organisations tick the drill box without learning anything from it.

Our most useful change was switching from a paper roll call at the assembly point to a simple digital check-in. Used to take twenty minutes to work out who was on site during a drill - now it is under two. Matters if you are trying to tell the fire service who might still be in the building.

Fire doors are the other thing we have had to get tighter on. They were being wedged open for convenience, which completely defeats their purpose - they are there to hold back smoke and buy evacuation time. Physical door closers, occasional inspections, and a no-wedging policy that is actually enforced made a real difference.

When auditing fire safety, I look at three things before anything else. One - the fire risk assessment. Is it current, signed by a competent person, and does it match the reality of the site today? Two - the evacuation arrangements. Can someone new to the building understand them? Are they practised? Are PEEPs in place for anyone who needs one? Three - the maintenance trail. Weekly alarm tests logged, monthly extinguisher checks, annual services from a competent contractor, emergency lighting tested to BS 5266.

Fire safety audits are where I see the biggest gap between documented arrangements and what actually happens on site. The site walk-through always reveals more than the paperwork review, so I do both.

Practical Compliance Guidance

Section 7 of the IMS1 Manual covers the operational H&S management requirements, including fire safety. It frames fire safety as part of the wider emergency preparedness and response arrangements, linked to risk assessment, training, equipment management and premises inspection.

The alphaZ documents below cover the policy, procedural guidance, fire risk assessments, registers and inspection forms needed for a compliant fire safety arrangement.

alphaZ document	How to use it
ISO 9001 14001 45001 IMS Toolkit	The full integrated toolkit for ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001. Contains the procedural documents, forms and guidance needed to set up and run a compliant management system including fire safety arrangements.
P57 Fire Safety Policy	Sets out the organisation's commitment to fire safety and the responsibilities of the responsible person. Issue to workers as part of the wider H&S policy set.
PP-7-09 Fire Safety Policy Procedure	The policy-procedure document covering fire risk assessment, prevention, detection, evacuation, training and maintenance arrangements. Use as the written procedure for the management system.
PP-7-100 Health and Safety Policy Procedure	A single integrated H&S policy-procedure covering fire safety alongside PPE, COSHH, manual handling and the other core H&S topics. Use as an alternative if you prefer one umbrella H&S procedure over separate topic-specific ones.
GG-7-09 Fire Safety Guidance	Plain-English guidance for line managers and workers covering fire prevention, how to respond to an alarm, and basic extinguisher awareness. Issue alongside training.
RA-HS65 Fire Risk Assessment	The general fire risk assessment template covering the five-step HSE approach. Tailor to your premises and activities, and review at least annually or whenever significant changes occur.
F-HS28 Fire Safety Risk Assessment	Alternative fire safety risk assessment form with a more detailed structure. Use in place of or alongside RA-HS65 depending on the complexity of the premises.
F-HS38 Fire Extinguisher Register	Register of extinguishers showing location, type, service date and inspection history. Use to track the monthly checks and annual services across the premises.
F-HS46 Fire Door Inspection Checklist	Inspection checklist for fire doors covering seals, closers, gaps, signage and damage. Use for regular fire door inspections, typically quarterly or more often in high-use areas.
F-ENV5 Fire Safety Inspection	General fire safety inspection form covering the premises and fire safety arrangements. Use for periodic fire safety walkrounds by the responsible person or appointed deputy.
TT-7-09 Fire Safety Toolbox Talk	Briefing material for team meetings covering the key fire safety points for workers. Use to reinforce awareness and provide evidence of training when signed.

Note - all the above files can be downloaded with an alphaZ subscription.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should we do fire drills?

At least once a year in most workplaces, and more often in higher-risk premises or where the workforce changes frequently. Some licensed premises and care settings require more frequent drills by condition of their licence or registration. A full drill should test the alarm, the evacuation, and the roll call, and be followed by a written debrief identifying any issues and the actions taken.

Who is the "Responsible Person" under the Fire Safety Order?

For a single-occupancy workplace, it is the employer or occupier. For shared premises, it can be more than one person - landlord, managing agent and tenants may all have concurrent duties for their respective areas. The responsible person has personal legal duties that cannot be fully delegated, though competent help (fire risk assessor, fire officer, or appointed deputy) can and should be used.

Do we need fire wardens?

The Fire Safety Order does not prescribe fire wardens as a specific role, but most workplaces of any size need trained people to lead evacuation, sweep their zones, and liaise with the fire service. Their number depends on the size and layout of the premises and the shift pattern - enough that every occupied area has a warden on duty whenever people are present. Training should cover the specific site and be refreshed periodically.

What about portable appliance testing and fire safety?

Electrical faults are a major ignition source, so electrical safety and fire safety are closely linked. PAT testing is part of electrical safety maintenance under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and supports fire risk reduction by identifying faulty equipment before it causes a fire. It is not a specific fire safety requirement but forms part of the "evaluate and reduce risks" step of the fire risk assessment.

UK Legislation

The following UK legislation is directly relevant to fire safety at work. Organisations outside the UK should identify the equivalent legislation applicable in their jurisdiction.

Further Resources