A fire risk assessment is a review undertaken of a building in order to assess its fire risk and offer recommendations to make the building safer, if necessary.
If there are less than 5 occupants regularly in the building, then it isn’t required for the fire risk assessment to be written down. So it isn’t always a document.
We do, however, recommend that a fire risk assessment always is in writing, since that is the easy way for the findings to be communicated and to ensure that any recommendations are carried out.
Are there any legal guidelines associated with fire risk assessments?
The Fire Risk Assessment must be reviewed on a regular basis. It is recommended that the following be included in the review:
- Every 12 months after the original assessment is done
- Every 5 years a new assessment should be conducted
- If the building’s purpose has substantially changed
- If the building structure, such as the layout, has changed
- If there has been a considerable change in the occupants
Changes to a building’s layout, how it is used, or the kind of occupants using or living in the building can significantly impact your fire safety plans. Therefore it is very important that a review of your fire risk assessment be conducted if any of those have occurred.