Fire Risk Assessment: A Quick Employers Guide to Suitability and Sufficiency

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) requires the responsible person to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the fire risks to which relevant persons are exposed to identify the general fire precautions necessary to protect them.

This involves:

• Identifying combustible substances and sources of ignition
• Examining their proximity to one another
• Assessing the likelihood of a fire occurring and spreading
• Identifying any unsafe acts or conditions that could compromise safety

The ‘Responsible Person’ (typically the business owner/landlord) should ensure the premises have a valid fire safety risk assessment.

The responsible person must:

• Implement preventive or protective measures
• Avoid risks where possible and combat risks at the source
• Replace dangerous elements with safer alternatives
• Adapt to technical progress
• Develop a coherent overall prevention policy
• Prioritise collective protective measures over individual protection
• Provide appropriate instructions to staff

The purpose of a fire and risk assessment is to set out the arrangements for ‘suitable and sufficient’ fire risk assessments and their use as the basis for suitable and sufficient fire safety management across all relevant locations.

The Fire Safety Order requires that a fire safety assessment be reviewed ‘regularly’. There is a further need to review fire risk assessments if there is a significant change to the premises, organisation or activities, or if there is a reason to suspect that the fire risk assessment plan in place is no longer valid, such as following a fire.

This simple tool will help you determine whether your existing workplace fire risk assessment is likely considered ‘suitable & sufficient’ ( the legal expectation).

Yes, or No? Assess your business now!

1. Has the FRA been updated on an ongoing basis / does it reflect the current layout or operational activities (has it been completed/reviewed/reissued within the last 12 months)?
2. Has the fire risk assessment document/process been completed by a competent person?
3. Does the FRA fully detail the use, layout, and construction of the building + occupants, including any vulnerable occupants?
4. Does the FRA identify all relevant fire hazards (e.g. Electrical sources of ignition / Portable heaters / Cooking / Housekeeping issues / Dangerous substances etc.)?
5. Does the FRA identify all relevant active fire protection systems (e.g. Fire Detection / Emergency Lighting / Fire Extinguishers etc.)?
6. Does the FRA identify all passive fire protection systems (e.g. Means of Escape / Structural Fire Protection / Fire safety signage etc.)?
7. Are Fire escape routes/fire doors being inspected & checked?
8. Is there adequate means of raising the alarm in case of fire and is the emergency plan for the site available and tested (e.g. fire drills)?
9. Are fire safety systems being correctly maintained by competent contractors?
10. Are records of fire safety inspections and checks being fully maintained in a fire logbook or equivalent?
11. Does your FRA record all the significant findings clearly and in detail along with a developed action plan?

If you have not been able to answer yes to all of the above questions, then it is entirely possible that should your fire risk assessment document be reviewed by any regulatory body, it might not be deemed to be suitable and sufficient.

Fire Risk Assessments must follow Article 9 of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and follow industry guidance in terms of the scope and depth of material included within your fire safety management documentation.

Can I conduct a fire risk assessment by myself?

While some responsible individuals, such as business owners, may be capable of handling fire risk management independently, others may find it challenging, particularly in complex premises. Undertaking such a task outside of your area of expertise can be risky. This is why choosing a competent fire risk assessor is essential to ensure you meet your legal obligations for fire safety with expert assistance.

This is where Avensure can be of assistance.

Our network of fire risk assessors across the country can help you avoid costly errors and oversights that may jeopardize the safety of your employees, residents, the general public, or property, potentially harming your business’s reputation or even more serious consequences.

An experienced fire risk assessor will visit your premises, identify any fire hazards, elucidate the associated risks, and generate a tailored fire risk assessment complete with recommendations to mitigate or eliminate the identified fire risks.

You can easily book a fire risk assessment through Avensure. While the law mandates this process, you don’t have to tackle it alone.

Here’s how we approach fire risk assessments:

• An experienced fire risk assessor will visit your premises
• Identify any fire hazards present
• Explain the potential fire risks involved
• Produce a bespoke fire risk assessment
• Provide recommendations for mitigating or reducing the identified fire risks

Please get in touch with an advisor if you want to book a fire risk assessment

Before October 2023, failing to provide the requested information to the enforcement authority as outlined in Article 27 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 carried a maximum fine set at level 3 under Article 32 of the Order (equating to approximately £1000).

However, as of October 1st, 2023, this penalty structure underwent a significant transformation. Offenders can now be fined based on the turnover and profit of their business, removing the previous cap, and allowing for potentially unlimited fines.

But wait, there’s more…

In cases where the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducts a workplace fire risk assessment and discovers a material breach of health and safety regulations, affected businesses will incur a fee for intervention (FFI) to cover the time spent rectifying the issues.

Effective from April 1, 2024, the HSE’s hourly recovery rate under the FFI has increased from £166 to £174. Businesses breaching health and safety laws will be subject to this updated rate.

Don’t take risks with fire safety. Book your fire risk assessment through Avensure today!

Please get in touch with an advisor if you want to book a fire risk assessment

To find out how our Health & Safety protection service can help you manage your responsibilities and mitigate the consequences of non-compliance, get in touch with our expert H&S team today by visiting Avensure Contact!