What is a commercial fire risk assessment?
A commercial fire risk assessment is a structured review of your premises that identifies fire hazards, evaluates who is at risk, and records the measures needed to keep people safe. It is the core legal record the Responsible Person must hold under the Fire Safety Order 2005.
Last reviewed: June 2026
Who is responsible?
The duty falls on the Responsible Person — usually the employer, owner or occupier, or whoever has control of the premises. In shared or multi-tenant buildings there can be several Responsible Persons, who must cooperate over shared areas.
The five steps
UK assessments follow the recognised PAS 79 methodology — a five-step process:
- ·Identify the fire hazards (sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen)
- ·Identify the people at risk, including vulnerable occupants
- ·Evaluate the risk and remove or reduce it
- ·Record your findings, prepare an emergency plan and train staff
- ·Review and keep the assessment up to date
What it must record
A suitable and sufficient assessment documents the significant findings, the people especially at risk, and the actions required — written clearly enough that someone else could act on it. A blank template or a tick-box with no detail is unlikely to be considered adequate.
When you need a professional
For a small, low-risk premises a competent Responsible Person may complete it themselves. For most premises of any complexity, an accredited assessor gives a more reliable, defensible result — and removes the risk of missing a hazard.