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Do you own, run or manage a shop or office? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. It’s an important part of protecting your staff, customers, visitors, other members of the public and you’re building from the risk of fire. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to all shops and offices, including: 

• Small shops and individual offices 
• Premises where only part of a building is used for business 
• Purpose-built or converted office buildings 
• Shops and offices within larger shopping centres or other complexes 

It doesn’t matter how large or small your business is – if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place. 

Can I carry out the assessment myself? 

For some small or low-risk premises, you may be able to carry out the fire risk assessment yourself. However, you need to have the appropriate knowledge and understanding to identify the fire risks and decide what needs to be done to keep people safe. 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that you are meeting your responsibilities. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help businesses carry out a fire risk assessment for shops and offices. 

 Fire safety risk assessment: offices and shops 

If you’re unsure whether you can carry out the assessment yourself, or you’d simply prefer professional advice, using a competent fire risk assessor is a sensible way to make sure your business, staff and customers are properly protected. 

Do you own, run or manage a factory or warehouse? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect your staff, visitors, contractors and anyone else who may be affected by a fire. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to buildings, or parts of buildings, where the main use is as a factory or warehouse. 

Whether you operate a small warehouse or a large industrial facility, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Factories and warehouses can present a range of fire risks, from machinery and electrical equipment to flammable materials, storage areas and industrial processes. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you understand the risks within your premises and identify what you need to do to keep people safe. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help businesses carry out a fire risk assessment for factories and warehouses. 

Fire safety risk assessment: factories and warehouses 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your people, your business and your premises. 

Do you own, run or manage an educational premises? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect your students, staff, visitors and anyone else who may be affected by a fire. 

Does this apply to my premises? 

Yes. The requirement applies to a wide range of educational settings, including: 

• Schools and academies 
• Colleges and universities 
• Nurseries and creches 
• Adult education centres 
• After-school clubs 
• Outdoor education centres 
• Music schools 
• Sunday schools and other educational settings 

Whether you are responsible for a small education setting or a large school, college or university, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Educational premises can have a wide range of fire risks, with large numbers of people often using the building at the same time. Some students, children or visitors may also need additional assistance to evacuate safely. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect the people who use your building. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help educational premises carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: educational premises 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your students, staff, visitors and premises safe. 

Do you own, run or manage a residential care premises? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect your residents, staff, visitors and anyone else who may be affected by a fire. 

Does this apply to my premises? 

Yes. The requirement applies to premises that provide residential care, including personal care or nursing care, but not premises providing healthcare treatment. 

Residential care can include settings providing care and support for: 

• Older people 
• Children and young people 
• People with additional needs 
• People with learning difficulties 
• People with physical or mental disabilities 
• People receiving support with addiction 

Whether you manage a small residential care home or a larger care facility, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

People living in residential care may need additional assistance to respond to a fire and evacuate safely. This makes effective fire safety planning particularly important. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your residents, staff and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help residential care premises carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: residential care premises 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your residents, staff, visitors and premises safe.

Do you own, run or manage healthcare premises? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect your patients, staff, visitors and anyone else who may be affected by a fire. 

Does this apply to my premises? 

Yes. The requirement applies to buildings, or parts of buildings, where the main use is the provision of healthcare. 

This includes: 

• Hospitals 
• Healthcare centres and clinics 
• Private healthcare premises 
• Other premises where healthcare is provided 

Whether you manage a small private clinic or a large healthcare facility, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Healthcare premises can present particular fire safety challenges. Patients may be unfamiliar with the building or may need assistance to move to safety during an emergency. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your patients, staff and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help healthcare premises carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: healthcare premises 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor.

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your patients, staff, visitors and premises safe.

Do you own, run or manage a theatre, cinema or similar premises? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your premises are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect your audience, staff, performers, visitors and anyone else who may be affected by a fire. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to buildings, or parts of buildings, where the main use is as a theatre, cinema, concert hall or similar venue. 

This includes both: 

• Purpose-built theatres, cinemas and concert halls 
• Buildings that have been converted for use as a theatre, cinema or similar venue 

Whether you manage a small local venue or a large theatre or cinema, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

What if my venue is temporary? 

If your venue is temporary, such as a marquee or tent, different guidance may apply depending on the size and type of event. 

You can find more information in our guidance for small and medium places of assembly or large places of assembly below.  

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Theatres, cinemas and similar venues can accommodate large numbers of people, often in enclosed spaces and sometimes in low lighting. A fire could develop quickly, and people may not be familiar with the building or its escape routes. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your audience, staff, performers and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help theatres, cinemas and similar premises carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: theatres, cinemas and similar premises 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your audience, staff, visitors and premises safe. 

Do you own, run or manage premises that provide sleeping accommodation? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your guests, residents and staff are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect the people staying at or using your premises. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to premises where the main use is providing sleeping accommodation. 

This can include: 

• Bed and breakfasts 
• Guest houses 
• Inns 
• Hotels 
• Holiday accommodation 
• Student halls of residence 
• Houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) 

Whether you manage a small guest house or a large hotel, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

People who are asleep may not become aware of a fire immediately. Guests and visitors may also be unfamiliar with the building, its layout and escape routes. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your guests, residents, staff and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help premises providing sleeping accommodation carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your guests, residents, staff, visitors and premises safe. 

Do you own, run or manage premises where 300 or fewer people can gather? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your customers, staff and visitors are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect the people using your premises. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to buildings, or parts of buildings, where 300 or fewer people can assemble. 

This can include: 

• Pubs 
• Village halls 
• Community centres 
• Churches 
• Other places of worship 
• Other small and medium places where people gather 

Whether you manage a small village hall, community centre or local pub, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

What if I run a licensed premises? 

If you run a licensed premises, such as a pub, bar, nightclub or other hospitality venue, there are additional fire safety considerations you need to be aware of. 

You can find more information in our Licensed Premises guidance below. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Places of assembly can have a large number of people using them at the same time. Customers and visitors may also be unfamiliar with the building, its layout and escape routes. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your customers, staff and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help small and medium places of assembly carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: small and medium places of assembly 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your customers, staff, visitors and premises safe.

Do you own, run or manage premises where 300 or fewer people can gather? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your customers, staff and visitors are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect the people using your premises. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to buildings, or parts of buildings, where over 300 people can assemble. 

This can include: 

• Sports stadia 
• Swimming pools 
• large nightclubs and pubs 
• Places of Worship  
• Conference centres 
• Museums 
• Other large places where people gather

What if I run a licensed premises? 

If you run a licensed premises, such as a pub, bar, nightclub or other hospitality venue, there are additional fire safety considerations you need to be aware of. 

You can find more information in our Licensed Premises guidance below. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Places of assembly can have a large number of people using them at the same time. Customers and visitors may also be unfamiliar with the building, its layout and escape routes. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks within your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your customers, staff and visitors. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help small and medium places of assembly carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: large places of assembly 

For large, complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your customers, staff, visitors and premises safe. 

Do you own, run or manage a pub, nightclub, bar or other licensed or hospitality premises? 

Fire safety is particularly important where customers, staff and visitors gather, often late into the evening and sometimes in large numbers. 

We’ve developed a free, practical guide to help owners and managers of licensed premises understand their fire safety responsibilities and the steps they can take to keep people safe. 

Download your free guide 

The guide provides useful information to help you understand your responsibilities and manage fire safety in your licensed premises. 

If you own or manage licensed premises, take a few minutes to read the guide and make sure your fire safety arrangements are up to date. 

Do you own, run or manage an open-air event or venue? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your customers, visitors, staff and members of the public are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect the people attending or working at your event or venue. 

Does this apply to my business? 

Yes. The requirement applies to a wide range of open-air events and venues, including: 

• Theme parks 
• Zoos 
• Music concerts 
• Festivals 
• Sporting events 
• Fairgrounds 
• Car boot sales 
• County fairs 
• Other similar open-air events and venues 

Whether you manage a small local event or a large open-air venue attracting thousands of people, if you are responsible for the event or venue, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Open-air events and venues can involve large numbers of people, temporary structures, electrical equipment, cooking facilities, vehicles and other potential sources of fire. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks associated with your event or venue and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your customers, visitors, staff and members of the public. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help those responsible for open-air events and venues carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: open-air events and venues 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk events and venues, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your customers, visitors, staff, members of the public and venue safe.

Do you own, run or manage transport premises or facilities? Then you have a legal responsibility to make sure your customers, visitors, staff and members of the public are safe from fire. 

You must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it up to date. This helps you identify potential fire hazards and put the right measures in place to protect the people using or working at your premises. 

Does this apply to my premises? 

Yes. The requirement applies to a wide range of transport premises and facilities, including: 

• Airport terminals 
• Ferry and shipping ports 
• Rail stations 
• Bus and coach stations 
• Other similar transport premises and facilities 

Whether you manage a small local transport facility or a large transport hub, if you are responsible for the premises, you need to make sure an appropriate fire risk assessment is in place and kept up to date. 

Why is a fire risk assessment important? 

Transport premises can have large numbers of people arriving, leaving or passing through the building at different times. People may also be unfamiliar with the premises and its escape routes. 

Transport facilities can also involve vehicles, electrical equipment, fuel, machinery and other potential sources of fire. 

A suitable fire risk assessment helps you identify the risks associated with your premises and make sure appropriate fire safety measures are in place to protect your customers, visitors, staff and members of the public. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

The Government provides guidance to help those responsible for transport premises and facilities carry out a fire risk assessment. 

Fire safety risk assessment: transport premises and facilities 

For larger, more complex or higher-risk premises, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help keep your customers, visitors, staff, members of the public and premises safe.

Do you own, manage or have responsibility for a small block of flats? Then you have a responsibility to make sure the building is safe from fire. 

Fire safety responsibilities in blocks of flats can be different from those in other types of premises. You may be responsible for the communal areas, such as entrances, corridors, stairways and other shared spaces. 

Does this apply to my building? 

Yes. The guidance applies to small blocks of flats and other residential buildings containing multiple homes. 

This can include: 

• Small blocks of flats 
• Converted houses containing several flats 
• Small residential buildings with shared communal areas 
• Other similar residential buildings 

The exact fire safety responsibilities can depend on how your building is managed and who is responsible for the common areas. 

Why is fire safety important? 

A fire in a block of flats can affect more than one household. Smoke and fire can spread through communal areas and can make it difficult for residents to leave the building safely. 

Good fire safety arrangements help reduce the risk of fire and make sure residents have the right information and protection in place. 

If you are responsible for a block of flats, you should make sure the building’s fire safety arrangements are regularly reviewed and that any identified risks are dealt with. 

Need help with your fire risk assessment? 

For small blocks of flats, the appropriate fire safety guidance will depend on the type and layout of the building and your responsibilities as the person responsible. 

 Making your small block of flats safe from fire 

For more complex or higher-risk buildings, we strongly recommend using a competent and suitably experienced fire risk assessor. 

A professional assessment can help give you confidence that the fire risks have been properly identified and that appropriate fire safety measures are in place to help protect your residents and building.