When you have a fire risk assessment in place, it’s just as important to keep it up to date as it was to carry one out in the first place. As a general rule, the review period is once a year, with a new review needed whenever something significant changes that could affect fire safety. Higher-risk environments may need it more often.
Even small changes to how a building is used can shift the fire risk profile. A staffing change, a layout tweak, or new equipment coming in can all bring the review forward, and dates are easy to lose track of when there’s no system behind them.
What Does The Law Say About Reviewing A Fire Risk Assessment?
Under Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, as amended by the Fire Safety Act 2021, any fire risk assessment should be “reviewed by the responsible person regularly to keep it up to date”, and again where there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates.
The law doesn’t define what is meant by “regularly”. As a general rule, the review period is once a year, with higher-risk environments needing it more often.
For multi-site operators, the legal duty stays the same across every building. The challenge is the scale of the schedule, knowing what’s due where, and making sure no site falls behind.
How Often Should A Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?
For most commercial premises, annual is the right cadence. Higher-risk sites, those with flammable materials, hot work, complex layouts, or significant footfall, may need it more often.
Beyond the calendar, your commercial fire risk assessment also needs revisiting whenever there is a significant change on site that could affect fire safety. Changes might include:
- You start using flammable or hazardous materials, or change the nature of work being done on site
- You move furniture, machinery, or equipment around the building
- You build an extension or carry out refurbishment work
- There are changes to the building’s layout
- More people are using the building, or staff numbers change substantially
- There has been a fire or a near miss
- Fire safety equipment is stolen, replaced, or damaged
- The responsible person changes
Any one of these can shift the fire risk profile of a building. When they happen, the review is brought forward rather than left to the calendar.
What’s The Difference Between Reviewing And Replacing A Fire Risk Assessment?
These two often get conflated, and they aren’t the same.
A review checks whether the existing assessment is still valid and updates the parts that have changed. The document stays in place. A full replacement is only needed when the review finds the existing assessment no longer reflects the building, usually after major structural work or a significant change in use.
Most commercial premises that stay broadly the same year on year only need a review. Our assessor confirms which applies before any work begins, so you’re not paying for a full reassessment when a review will do.
Who’s Responsible For Reviewing A Fire Risk Assessment?
The legal duty sits with the “responsible person”, usually the employer, building owner, or facilities lead. For multi-site operations, that duty can be delegated to a facilities team or compliance manager, but it can’t be passed off entirely. The named person stays accountable.
The hardest part of the role is rarely the assessment itself. It’s keeping the schedule across every site, knowing what’s due when, and making sure nothing lapses between visits. A clear view of your UK electrical compliance deadlines alongside your fire safety reviews is what stops dates falling through the cracks.
Book Your Fire Risk Assessment Review With Hawkesworth
Hawkesworth carries out commercial fire risk assessments across the UK and Ireland, with 190+ qualified engineers covering every region. We track your review schedule and send a reminder when one is due, so the date never sneaks up on you.
Reviews are often booked alongside fire alarm testing and emergency lighting testing for a single coordinated visit. Out-of-hours and weekend appointments are available at no extra charge, and multi-site pricing applies for operations with several premises.
Request a quote and our experts at Hawkesworth will set you up with a review schedule that keeps your buildings compliant year on year.
Michael Kiddle
Managing Director of Hawkesworth and a nationally recognised leader in electrical and fire safety, Michael (GIFireE) directs one of the UK's leading compliance companies, safeguarding thousands of businesses each year. Through his voluntary Safe Home Initiative, he has identified and removed thousands of dangerous household appliances from vulnerable people's homes, replacing each one with a safe alternative free of charge.
