What is a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA)?
A fire risk assessment (FRA) is a legal requirement for most non-domestic and multi-occupied premises. This guide explains what it is, who needs one, and what it must cover.
In short
A fire risk assessment (FRA) is a structured review of a building's fire risks, required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It identifies fire hazards, the people at risk, and the measures needed to reduce risk, and informs the building's fire safety arrangements.
Who needs a fire risk assessment
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for almost every non-domestic premises and the common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out and kept up to date. This covers offices, shops, factories, care homes, schools, and the communal areas of blocks of flats. Where five or more people are employed, or a licence is in force, the significant findings must be recorded.
What an FRA covers
A fire risk assessment follows a logical process: understand the building and its occupants, identify what could cause a fire and who could be harmed, evaluate and reduce the risk, and record and review. It informs everything from escape route design to alarm provision and maintenance priorities.
- Identifying fire hazards — ignition sources, fuel, oxygen
- Identifying people at risk, including vulnerable occupants
- Evaluating existing fire precautions and their adequacy
- Recommending improvements and remedial actions
- Informing maintenance of fire systems (alarms, lighting, dampers, doors)
- Recording significant findings and an action plan
Reviewing and acting on the FRA
A fire risk assessment is not a one-off document — it must be reviewed regularly and whenever the building, its use, or its occupants change significantly. Crucially, it must be acted upon: the recommended actions and the maintenance it relies on (testing alarms, emergency lighting, dampers, fire doors) must actually be delivered and recorded. An FRA sitting in a drawer with unaddressed actions is itself a finding. Being able to retrieve the current FRA and its action tracker quickly is part of demonstrating active fire risk management.
Frequently asked questions
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