Fire Risk Assessment Kent

A fire risk assessment in Kent is a legal requirement for anyone who manages or owns a commercial property or business. This includes:

• Schools and universities
• Healthcare facilities
• Office buildings
• Hospitality venues/hotels
• HMOs

The fire risk assessment identifies potential hazards and risks, creating a plan to minimise them and reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring. It will also outline the steps to take in the event of a fire. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure public safety.

About Fire Risk Assessments

There are 5 main areas of a fire risk assessment…

1. Identifying hazards: Including ignition sources such as fuel, oxygen or flammable items.
2. Identifying people at risk: This is anyone who uses the building. Particular attention will be given to people who are considered more vulnerable, such as lone workers or children.
3. Evaluate, remove, reduce: The fire risk assessment then looks at hazards and risks together, checking for ways to remove or reduce these.
4. Record, plan, inform, instruct, train: Findings are recorded and plans are created to train and educate relevant occupiers.
5. Review: The last step is an ongoing one. The fire risk assessment should be regularly reviewed, to ensure all plans and recommendations are relevant.

Why Choose Hawkesworth?

We have a nationwide team of over 170 engineers dedicated to keeping businesses across the UK safe and compliant. We’ve worked with chains and premises of all sizes, including well-known brands like CentreParcs and Wetherspoons.

• We are fully accredited and experienced
• We offer out-of-hours appointments to accommodate your business needs
• All of our engineers are City & Guilds certified and DBS-checked
• We can arrange multi-site services if you need fire risk assessments in Kent for multiple properties
• We’ll send you helpful reminders when your next assessment is due

To arrange a fire risk assessment in Kent, use our contact page to get in touch.

FAQs

How often do I need to update a fire risk assessment?

There is no specific guidance on how often a fire risk assessment should be updated. The legislation states:

“Any fire risk assessment must be reviewed by the responsible person regularly to keep it up to date. There is no definition of regularly, but annually is generally accepted as best practice.”

We recommend updating the assessment at least once a year. If your building is high-risk, such as a hotel or student housing, more frequent updates may be necessary.

In addition, any changes related to people, processes, or property should prompt a review and update of the assessment.

Who can carry out a fire risk assessment UK?

According to the legislation, anyone deemed ‘competent’ can carry out a fire risk assessment. In theory, as the responsible person, you could complete the assessment yourself.

However, we strongly recommend leaving this task to professionals. If a fire were to break out and the fire risk assessment was found to be inadequate, you could face legal penalties, financial losses, damage to your business, and, in the worst case, be held responsible for loss of life.