Fire safety in the workplace

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Fire risk assessments

As the responsible person you must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.

You must keep a written record of your fire risk assessment if your business has 5 or more people.

Carrying out the assessment

  1. Identify the fire hazards.

  2. Identify people at risk.

  3. Evaluate, remove or reduce the risks.

  4. Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide training.

  5. Review and update the fire risk assessment regularly.

The fire safety risk assessment chart gives more detailed information about these steps.

You’ll need to consider:

  • emergency routes and exits
  • fire detection and warning systems
  • fire fighting equipment
  • the removal or safe storage of dangerous substances
  • an emergency fire evacuation plan
  • the needs of vulnerable people, for example the elderly, young children or those with disabilities
  • providing information to employees and other people on the premises
  • staff fire safety training

Help with the assessment

You can do the fire risk assessment yourself with the help of standard fire safety risk assessment guides.

If you do not have the expertise or time to do the fire risk assessment yourself you need to appoint a ‘competent person’ to help, for example a professional risk assessor.

Your local fire and rescue authority might be able to give you advice if you’re not sure your risk assessment’s been carried out properly. However, they cannot carry out risk assessments for you.

Assessment guides

You can download the following guides on risk assessments in:

You can also find guidance on:

View a printable version of the whole guide

Part of Get your business ready to employ staff: step by step

  1. Step 1 Decide what type of employee you need

    1. Check whether you need full time or part time staff
    2. Check the different types of employment status

  2. and Check you can afford to take on employees

    1. Check how much the National Minimum Wage is
    2. Find out how much National Insurance you need to pay for your employees
    3. Check how much sick pay your employees are eligible for
    4. Check how much you need to pay towards your employee's pension
    5. Check how much Maternity Leave you need to pay your employees
    6. Check how much Paternity Leave you need to pay your employees

  3. Step 2 Make your workplace safe and accessible for employees

    1. Prevent discrimination
    2. Make your workplace accessible for employees with disabilities or health conditions
    3. Keep employee information and data safe
    4. Fire safety
    5. Health and safety

    You also need to make checks when you recruit and employ someone.

    1. Find out what you need to check when you employ someone

  4. Step 3 Register as an employer and set up PAYE

    You need to register with HMRC so you can pay tax and national insurance for your employees.

    1. Register as an employer and set up PAYE
    2. Choose how to run payroll
    3. If you decide to run payroll yourself, choose payroll software

  5. Step 4 Check your responsibilities around workplace pensions

    1. Understand your pension responsibilities as an employer

  6. Step 5 Get Employers' Liability insurance

    1. Find out about Employers' Liability insurance

  7. Step 6 Recruit and employ staff

    1. Employ someone