Commercial fire risk assessments
Every non-domestic premises in England needs one, and the duty falls on a named person rather than the business. We survey the building, record the significant findings, and give you a plan you can actually work through.
What we assess
Shops and retail units
Stock storage blocking rear exits is the single most common finding. Where there is a flat above, the shop owner and the freeholder often both assume the other holds the duty for the shared staircase.
Offices
Usually low risk, frequently non-compliant on paper. Small offices are the most likely premises to have no written assessment at all, because owners assume the duty starts at a certain headcount. It does not.
Pubs, cafes and restaurants
Kitchen extract cleaning, gas safety interfaces and escape routes through cellars or beer stores. Late licences also mean assessing evacuation with impaired occupants.
Industrial and warehouse
High fire loading, racking that narrows escape routes below the required width, and processes introduced long after the building was designed. Battery charging bays are the fastest growing issue we see.
Care and residential settings
Progressive horizontal evacuation, staffing levels at night, and personal emergency evacuation plans for each resident. These are the most demanding assessments we carry out.
Multi-tenant buildings
The hardest part is not the survey, it is establishing who the responsible person is for each part. More than one person can hold the duty simultaneously, and usually does.
The five step process, followed properly
This is the government's own methodology. It is not complicated, but it is frequently short-cut, and step five is the one almost everyone forgets.
- Step 1
Identify
Fire hazards, sources of ignition and fuel, and the way the building is actually used rather than how it was designed.
- Step 2
Identify people at risk
Employees, visitors, contractors, and anyone who would need help to evacuate.
- Step 3
Evaluate and act
Remove or reduce each risk, then check the remaining precautions are adequate for what is left.
- Step 4
Record and train
Significant findings written down, an emergency plan, and evidence that staff have been briefed on it.
- Step 5
Review
Kept current, and revisited whenever the layout, occupancy or use of the premises changes.
Commercial fire safety questions
Does my business need a fire risk assessment?
If you are an employer, or you have any control over a non-domestic premises, yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to virtually all commercial premises in England and Wales, with no lower limit on size or headcount.
Does it have to be written down?
The significant findings must be recorded if you employ five or more people, hold a licence, or have an alterations notice in force. Below that threshold a written record is not strictly required, but it is the only practical way to demonstrate you complied.
Who is the responsible person for a leased unit?
For a workplace it is the employer, so in most leases that is the tenant for the demised area. The freeholder or managing agent normally retains the duty for common parts. Both duties can exist in the same building at the same time.
How long does the assessment take?
Most small commercial premises take one to two hours on site, with the report back within two to three working days. Fees start at £295.
What happens if the fire service inspects us?
An inspecting officer will ask to see the current fire risk assessment first. If it does not exist, or is clearly not suitable and sufficient, that alone can trigger enforcement action regardless of the physical condition of the building.
Get a fixed price for your premises
Tell us the property type and roughly how many rooms or how much floor area. You will get a fixed price back the same working day, with no site visit needed to quote.
Mon to Fri, 8am to 6pm. Emergency callouts by arrangement.