fire Risk Assessment

What are Fire Risk Assessments?

Fire risk assessments (FRA) are a legal requirement for non-domestic buildings, involving a methodical review to identify fire hazards, people at risk, and existing fire safety measures, leading to actions to reduce risk. This could be improving fire detection, ensuring clear escape routes, and providing training, with findings needing to be recorded and reviewed regularly.

Bear in mind, an FRA is different to a Fire Strategy. An FRA focuses on usage/occupants, while a Fire Strategy focuses on building design.

An FRA follows a 5-step process of:

Step 1. Identifying hazards (like electrical faults, smoking), identifying people at risk (especially vulnerable individuals), evaluating, removing, or reducing risks, recording findings and planning, and reviewing the assessment.

Step 2. Look for sources of ignition (electrical equipment, arson) and combustible materials. It then looks at identifying people at risk, such as building occupants, visitors, and especially vulnerable individuals (elderly, disabled, and children).

Step 3. Then looks to evaluate and reduce the risk by assessing existing fire safety measures (alarms, extinguishers, fire doors, clear exits) and implement improvements.

Step 4. Findings are documented, an emergency plan is created, outlining the staff training that needs to be provided, including conducting fire drills.

Step 5. Finally, the fire risk assessment needs to be reviewed and updated when changes occur.

fire Risk Assessment 

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