Fire Risk Assessment Service

Are YOU the 'Responsible Person'?

Fire risk assessments are a legal requirement for all UK businesses and organisations employing five or more people. The basic requirement is that each organisation must identify and nominate an individual as the 'responsible person'. That person's duty is then to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to eliminate the risk of fire on the premises. The responsibility is for all the individuals that work at the premises AND visitors.

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David Perkins - Fire Risk Assessor

Phoenix Fire and Safety offer a full fire risk assessment service &/or health & safety risk assessment service, to take the stress and responsibility away from you. The assessment is carried out by our experienced and qualified fire officers & professional fire risk assessors and documented in a comprehensive written report with recommendations.

For peace of mind, call Phoenix Fire & Safety FREE on 0800 975 0689 and ask us about a professionally carried out Fire Risk Assessment of your commercial premises.

If you would like a quote, send us your details and we will be in touch.

Fire Risk Assessment - The Law

Fire Risk Assessments are now required by law from October 2006. Premises covered by the law include:

Offices & Shops
Premises that provide care, including care homes & hospitals
Pubs, clubs & restaurants
Educational premises
Leisure centres
Community halls & premises
Places of worship
Houses of multiple occupancy (HMO) (Download free guidance on Fire Risk Assessment for HMO)
Hotels & hostels
Care homes
Factories & warehouses
Industrial units

Who is responsible for fire risk assessment?

Everybody entering your business premises: employees/staff; contractors/workers; clients/customers; friends & family or other visitors - has a responsibility to ensure fire safety. It is a legal requirement that all businesses must now have a legally-designated "responsible person" who's duty it is to arrange for a fire risk assessment, identify any possible fire risks and deal with them. This law came into force in Northern Ireland in 2008.

In most cases, it wil be obvious who the responsible person should be, although sometimes several people will share responsibility for fire risk assessment - for example in shared premises or larger businesses. The 'responsible person' will be someone who has control over premises, or over some areas, departments or systems. For example, it could be:

an employer with control of a workplace
a person with overall management of a building
an occupier of a premises, owner of a premises
landlords (multi occupied buildings)
the owner or manager of a business
the owner or managing agent of premises which are shared between a number of businesses
individuals within a multiple-occupancy building, such as self-employed people or voluntary organisations if they control someone within the premises

You should establish who the responsible person is within your business or premises. If it is not clear, then your local fire authority will decide who should be responsible for fire risk assessment, or you can call Phoenix Fire and Safety FREE on 0800 975 0689. Where there is more than one person responsible for a premises they are expected to:

co-operate with the other responsible persons so far as is necessary to comply with the fire risk regulations
co-ordinate with the other responsible person's measures required to comply with the fire regulations
share information with each other

Fire Risk Assessment - duties of the 'responsible person'

The 'responsible person' is someone who has control, or a degree of control, over premises or fire-prevention systems within premises. As the responsible person, you must ensure that everyone who uses your premises is able to escape if there is a fire.

Your fire risk assessment will need to consider anyone who might be on your premises, including employees, clients/customers, visitors or members of the public. You need to pay particular attention to those who may need special help, such as elderly or disabled people or children.

You must:

carry out a risk assessment for fire, identifying all possible dangers and risks
think about who might be particularly at risk - e.g. you may have disabled employees, or people who work with hazardous chemicals
illiminate the risk from fire, as far as reasonably possible
put in place fire precautions to deal with any risks that remain
make sure there is adequate protection if you use or store flammable or explosive materials
have a plan to deal with emergencies
record your findings and review them as and when necessary

If you are the 'responsible person', you must ensure that the fire risk assessment is carried out. You can appoint some other competent person to do the actual assessment, but you are still responsible in law. In many premises achieving fire safety is likely to be a matter of common sense providing the responsible person makes enough time available to go through all the necessary steps.

The enforcing authority, which is usually the local fire authority, must be satisfied with your safety measures. If not, they will tell you what you need to do. If they find major problems they can restrict the use of your premises or close them altogether until you deal with any problems they raise.

Anyone who has any degree of control over the premises or a part of the premises can be designated a 'responsible person'. If this person is you, then you need to consider what you can do to protect yourself, and the others using the premises, from the risk of fire, and to become compliant with the recent changes in Fire Safety law. Further details of recent changes to fire safety law can be seen at the Communities and Local Government website and at the London Fire Brigade website. There are also useful guides you can download on the Business Link website. If you have any doubts or would like expert advice or information about our fire risk assessment service, call Phoenix Fire and Safety FREE on 0800 975 0689.