When you have a fire risk assessment in place, it’s important to review it regularly.
Circumstances can change, meaning that the fire risk assessment you have for your building may no longer be fit for purpose.
Whether you have a fire risk assessment carried out for a commercial building or a rental property, this short guide to fire risk assessment frequency will help.
How often should I have a fire risk assessment carried out?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 says that any fire risk assessment should be ‘reviewed by the responsible person regularly so as to keep it up to date’.
The law doesn’t define what is meant by ‘regularly’ but we would recommend that you review your fire risk assessment at least once a year.
Even small changes can have a major impact on how staff, visitors, and tenants can exit your building in an emergency.
When should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
As well as a ‘regular’ fire risk assessment, you should also review your fire risk assessment if your circumstances change. For example:
Fire risk assessments for a commercial property
- You start to use flammable or hazardous materials
- You start to carry out ‘high risk’ tasks on-site or there is a change in business activity
- You move around furniture or machinery
- There are changes to the building’s layout
- You build an extension
- More people are using the building, or staff numbers change substantially
- You hire a younger, older, or disabled person
- There has been a fire
- Fire safety equipment is stolen, replaced, or damaged
Fire risk assessments for a rental property
- You move furniture around
- There are changes to the property’s layout
- You build an extension
- A younger, older, or disabled person moves into the property
- There has been a fire
- Fire safety equipment is stolen, replaced, or damaged
A guide to fire risk assessments for landlords
Hawkesworth: Leave the fire risk assessments to the experts
As you can see, it’s important to carry out a fire risk assessment yearly, as well as when your circumstances change. This ensures your commercial or residential property stays as safe as possible.
A fire risk assessment company like Hawkesworth can do all the hard work for you, saving you valuable time and ensuring your fire risk assessment is as comprehensive as possible. Fully accredited and available across the UK, we’re here to help.
