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Fire risk assessment template.
The 9-step PAS 79-1 methodology plus the 10 sections a compliant fire risk assessment record must contain under Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Written for UK responsible persons and competent fire risk assessors.
A fire risk assessment for a UK non-domestic premises is a legal duty under Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The de facto methodology is PAS 79-1:2020, published by BSI and referenced by fire and rescue authorities during audit. The 9 steps below are the PAS 79-1 workflow; the 10 sections are what the written record must document.
Nothing on this page is legal advice. Verify obligations against the current standards and a qualified competent fire risk assessor for your premises.
The 9-step PAS 79-1 methodology
PAS 79-1 sets a repeatable workflow so two competent assessors reach the same conclusions on the same premises. Skipping steps is the most common reason an assessment fails audit.
Obtain information about the premises
Building age, use, occupancy pattern, construction type, height, means of escape layout, existing fire strategy documentation, and any previous fire risk assessment. Without this the assessment starts blind.
Identify the fire hazards
Ignition sources (electrical, hot works, cooking, arson), fuel sources (stored materials, waste, packaging, decor), and structural weaknesses. PAS 79-1 defines a fire hazard as a source or situation with the potential to result in fire.
Identify people at risk
Employees, visitors, contractors, and particularly people at increased risk: children, mobility-limited occupants, lone workers, sleeping occupants, and anyone unfamiliar with the escape routes.
Evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk
For each hazard, assess likelihood and consequence, then remove where possible, reduce where not, and protect the remaining risk with means of detection, warning, escape and firefighting equipment.
Assess existing fire safety measures
Means of escape, fire warning systems, firefighting equipment, emergency lighting, fire safety signage, compartmentation, means for the fire and rescue service, and any special systems (smoke control, suppression, sprinklers).
Formulate an action plan
For every unacceptable risk, list what must be done, by whom, by when, with priority. PAS 79-1 recommends a traffic-light urgency scale. Without an action plan the assessment is not compliant.
Record the significant findings
Article 9(6) of the FSO 2005 requires the responsible person to record the significant findings if 5 or more people are employed, or if the premises are subject to a licensing requirement, or if an alterations notice requires it. In practice most non-domestic premises record.
Establish an emergency plan
Written procedure covering fire warning, evacuation routes, assembly points, roll call, contacting the fire and rescue service, disabled evacuation (PEEPs), and post-incident actions.
Provide information, instruction and training
All employees receive fire safety instruction on induction and at intervals proportionate to the risk. Nominated staff (fire wardens, evacuation coordinators) receive additional training. Records of training kept as evidence.
The 10 sections of the written record
The written record structure below matches how PAS 79-1 organises the output of the 9-step process. A record that omits sections fails the suitable and sufficient test.
| Section | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 1. Premises description | Address, building age, use class, height, occupancy pattern, contact details of responsible person |
| 2. Fire hazards | Ignition sources, fuel sources, structural weaknesses, hot works, arson vulnerability |
| 3. Fire protection measures | Compartmentation, fire doors, dampers, cavity barriers, external wall system, structural fire protection |
| 4. Management of fire safety | Responsible person, competent person, delegated roles, fire safety policy, maintenance regime |
| 5. Means of escape | Travel distances, escape route width, protected stairs, final exits, external routes, refuge points |
| 6. Fire warning systems | Detection type and coverage, alarm audibility, voice alarm where used, integration with sprinkler or suppression |
| 7. Firefighting equipment | Extinguishers, hose reels, wet/dry risers, sprinklers, suppression systems, fire hydrants for FRS use |
| 8. Signs and notices | Fire action notices, escape route signage, fire door signage, disabled refuge signage, equipment location signage |
| 9. Structural features and other factors | Cavity barriers, cladding system, roof construction, historic building constraints, adjacent building risk |
| 10. Conclusions and action plan | Overall risk rating, list of unacceptable risks, prioritised action plan, target completion dates, responsible owners |
Frequently asked
- Who legally has to carry out a fire risk assessment?
- Under Article 9 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for the premises must make and keep under review a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to which relevant persons are exposed. For a workplace that is usually the employer; for other premises it is the person who has control over the premises. The duty applies to virtually all non-domestic premises in England and Wales, plus common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings.
- Do I need to hire a fire risk assessor or can I do it in-house?
- The FSO 2005 does not require an accredited assessor. It requires the assessment to be suitable and sufficient, which in practice means the person doing it must have the necessary competence. For a low-risk, single-storey office with sub-10 employees an experienced building manager can often produce a compliant assessment. For anything higher risk (sleeping occupancy, complex geometry, high fire load, high-rise, historic building, or where a previous assessor found significant issues) engage a third-party assessor. Insurance policies and post-Grenfell FSER 2022 duties often require third-party competence anyway.
- How often does a fire risk assessment have to be reviewed?
- Article 9(3) requires the responsible person to keep the assessment under review and revise it if there is a reason to suspect it is no longer valid, or a significant change to the premises, staffing, use, or hazards. In practice most assessors set a fixed review interval (annually for high-risk, every 2-3 years for medium-risk, up to 5 years for a low-risk stable premises) plus event-driven reviews after any change: refurbishment, change of use, incident, staffing change, tenant change.
- What's the difference between PAS 79-1 and PAS 79-2?
- PAS 79-1:2020 covers fire risk assessment for premises other than housing (offices, shops, factories, warehouses, hotels, care homes, hospitals, industrial premises). PAS 79-2:2020 covers fire risk assessment for housing (single dwellings, houses in multiple occupation, and the common parts of blocks of flats). Both use the same 9-step methodology but PAS 79-2 focuses on residential-specific hazards (kitchen fires, escape from bedrooms at night, means of escape from upper floors) and interfaces with the FSER 2022 duties for high-rise residential.
- What has to be in the written record?
- Article 9(7) of the FSO 2005 requires the record to state the significant findings of the assessment, any group of persons especially at risk, and the measures to be taken to comply with the responsible person's duties under the Order. PAS 79-1 expands this into the 10 sections listed above. A record that just says 'assessment carried out, no significant findings' fails the suitable and sufficient test on inspection.
- What happens if the fire and rescue service audits and the FRA is inadequate?
- The fire and rescue authority can serve an alterations notice, an enforcement notice, or a prohibition notice depending on severity. Serious cases can lead to prosecution under Article 32; convictions carry unlimited fines and up to 2 years imprisonment for the responsible person. A prohibition notice can close the premises immediately until the risk is remediated. Insurance cover can also be voided if the assessment is later shown to have been inadequate.
Get the printable template
We are packaging the 9-step methodology and the 10-section record structure as a printable PDF plus an editable Word template, aligned to PAS 79-1:2020. Drop your work email and we will send it the moment it lands. No sales sequence.
Run the assessment on the phone
Hovermarks Inspection carries the PAS 79-1 workflow as a guided form. Assessor answers questions in order, photo evidence attaches to each finding, the action plan populates from the significant findings automatically.
- 9-step PAS 79-1 workflow pre-mapped
- Action plan generates from findings
- Review cycles chase themselves
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