Fire Risk Assessment & Fire Safety FAQs
Do the fire safety regulations apply to my business?
If you are an employer with more than 5 employees (including part-time staff), have business premises that are visited by members of the public or are a voluntary organisation, are a landlord with control over a business premises, if you own HMO properties, are self-employed with business premises, own licensed premises or have an alterations notice in force, then yes you are subject to the fire reform Act and must undertake a fire risk assessment. In short, the legislation applies to all places of work with little exception.
Whose responsibility is it to make my business premises compliant?
The legislation places a duty of care on employers, owners and occupiers of business premises to safeguard premises, staff and members of the public from fire risk in their premises. This means that all:
- Employers
- People with control/responsibility for a workplace
- People who have a tenancy that relates to the maintenance and safety of the workplace
- People who conduct a trade or business from a business premises
- Owners of unoccupied business premises
are responsible for ensuring that their premises have been fire risk assessed and are compliant with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
I don't have the time/the staff/feel confident carrying out a fire risk assessment, what do I do?
The legislation recognises that there are constraints on both time, skills and resources in all sizes of business, and therefore allows for the responsible person to engage a suitable outside professional agency or person (such as UKFRAS) to undertake the fire risk assessment on your behalf and to prepare the necessary documentation to show that the business is compliant with fire safety regulations.
What are the benefits of engaging UKFRAS to undertake our fire risk assessment?
Our trained fire risk assessors:
- Understand the relevant fire safety regulations
- Have training and experience in carrying out fire risk assessments for all sizes of business and all kinds of business properties
- Have training, knowledge and experience in the principles of fire safety
- Understand the physics of fire development and the psychology of how people behave when fire breaks out
- Have been trained to identify fire hazards, fire risks, and buildings and occupants of buildings who pose special risk in the event of a fire
- Carry full Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance
Will I be fully compliant with the new legislation if UKFRAS carry out my fire fisk assessment?
Yes. Assessments are carried out by a qualified fire risk assessor, who will ensure that your property complies with the requirements of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. Our comprehensive approach to fire risk assessment means that our assessments:
- Ensure that you are compliant with fire safety legislation
- Reduce the risk of fires in your premises
- Help you to develop safeguards to protect staff and visitors to your premises
- Reduce the risk of fire to your business assets
- Ensure that in the unlikely event of a fire in your premises damage and danger are minimal
We provide all of our customers with a clear, easy to understand report that satisfies regulatory requirements and prioritises our findings to allow you to deal with any problems, or potential problems, as quickly as possible. The report is supplied in electronic and printed formats, which can be used to demonstrate that you are compliant, for client reference and for insurance purposes.
What happens in a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessor makes a thorough tour of your premises, evaluating the building condition and age, its layout and building contents to identify potential fire hazards, ignition sources and combustible materials and means of escape in the case of fire. The assessor also notes who works in the building and where, current fire safety signage, current protocols for fire prevention and management, current fire safety equipment, its condition and maintenance and existing fire safety training and drills.
What happens after the assessor has visited?
All of the information that has been gathered during the site(s) visit is analysed and used to produce the fire risk assessment report. The report is clear and easy to understand, satisfies regulatory requirements and is acceptable for insurance purposes. The report prioritizes our findings allowing you to deal with any problems, or potential problems, as quickly as possible. The report is supplied in electronic and printed formats and we aim to supply the report 2 days after assessment.
How much does a fire risk assessment cost?
Our prices start from as little as £145.
Does the business premises have to be closed whilst the assessor conducts their visit?
No, the assessor will need on average 3 hours in your premises but you do not have to be closed during this period. They will need access to all areas of the premises and they will need to be able to meet with the person with responsibility for ensuring that the building is fire risk assessed.
Do I need to have a fire risk assessment every year?
No, but it is your responsibility to regularly review your fire assessment document and check that it is still valid. There are certain instances when you must do a fresh fire risk assessment and update your document, for example if:
- There have been material alterations to the premises
- There are any significant changes to the use or contents or layout of the building since the last fire risk assessment was carried out
- There is a significant change in fire risk precautions
- There is any other reason to suspect that the fire risk assessment is no longer valid
We advise our clients to schedule a yearly telephone review with one of our advisors to discuss if a full review needs to be undertaken.
Find out more about: fire risk assessment | fire safety regulations | contact & appointments
Call us today! 0845 459 4134
"We use UKFRAS each year for our fire assessments. We have always found the service to be professional, informative and inexpensive."
Peter Yates – Unfair Credit Direct (Sales Director)
