Office Fire Risk Assessment

As you would expect, keeping your office safe from the risk of fire is a legal requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. 

If you are the owner or manager of a business, or landlord of an office building, it is your responsibility to ensure your premises meet at least the minimum fire safety requirements. This means identifying potential fire hazards and taking steps to reduce the risks, as well as being able to carry out a safe evacuation of the office in the event of a fire. 

What Is a Responsible Person?

Under Home Office guidelines for people with duties under fire safety legislation, a responsible person does not necessarily have to be a person. “In the context of fire safety legislation and this guide, a ‘person’ will commonly be an organisation, such as a limited company, rather than a living person.” It is then up to the management and staff of your business to ensure that fire safety practices are being followed. 

The guidelines also state that “under fire safety legislation, all employees in a workplace must take reasonable care for their own safety and the safety of other people who could be affected by things they do or do not do.” 

What Your Staff Need to Know

It is your responsibility to ensure all staff have adequate fire safety training. All your staff need to have at least a basic level of fire awareness which can be carried out as part of their induction training. Ideally, fire drills should be carried out annually so everyone understands what they need to do in the event of an emergency. 

Ensuring a Competent Person Carries Out Your Fire Risk Assessment

Office fire risk assessments must be carried out by a competent person and in most cases this is a professional third-party assessor with experience in the type of building you are based in as well as in office environments. For example, if your office is based in a historical building, is your responsibility as an employer/responsible person to ensure the assessor has adequate experience and training to do so. 

Your Legal Responsibilities With Regard to Fire Safety

Booking a regular fire risk assessment is the best way to ensure you’re fulfilling your responsibilities. In fire risk assessments, your assessor will look for potential fire hazards and make suggestions for ways that will help you reduce or remove the risk altogether. 

Your assessor will look at your current emergency plan and training, making suggestions for improvements, taking into account the people who use your premises to identify those who are most at risk, for example people with reduced mobility. They will advise on how many fire marshals you might need, whether you need to add or replace any safety signage or lighting and make sure that you have adequate fire safety equipment, such as ensuring there are the right number of extinguishers per room, and that people will be able to get unobstructed access to them if necessary.

Office Fire Safety Considerations

When conducting an office fire risk assessment, your assessor will be looking at a number of factors including: 

• The number of people using the building – employees and the likely number of visitors

• The layout of the building

• Fire detection equipment, fire alarms and emergency notification system 

• Fire safety equipment, making sure it is adequately maintained and in a serviceable condition

• Emergency exits and evacuation routes, emergency lighting

• Staff training and fire drills

Book Your Office Fire Risk Assessment Now

We undertake fire risk assessments in office buildings throughout the UK. Our assessments are fully comprehensive and you will receive a detailed report which will outline any remedial actions that need to be taken. 

Contact us on 0333 090 5554 to find out more and book your office fire risk assessment. Alternatively, complete our online contact form and one of our specialists will be in touch.