Fire risk assessment template for UK premises

Meta title: Fire Risk Assessment Template for UK Premises | Complys

Meta description: Copy a practical fire risk assessment record for non-domestic premises. Identify hazards and people at risk, record precautions, assign actions and plan reviews.

Direct answer: A fire risk assessment template is a structured record of a real premises assessment. It should identify who controls the premises, the people who could be harmed, credible fire hazards, existing precautions, gaps, action owners and review triggers. A blank form cannot judge whether a route is adequate, a fire door works or vulnerable occupants can escape. The person with the legal duty remains responsible for arranging a suitable assessment and acting on its findings. In England and Wales this is generally the responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005; Scotland has a separate regime under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Use the relevant local guidance before applying a generic form. GOV.UK workplace fire-safety assessment; Scottish Government assessment forms.

The worksheet below is intended for a competent assessment of a specific non-domestic premises, such as a straightforward office, shop or small workplace. It is not a substitute for a specialist assessment of a complex building, sleeping accommodation, healthcare premises, high-rise residential common areas, unusual processes or hazardous substances. The Home Office five-step checklist explicitly says it is designed for the simplest types of premises and should be read with the premises-specific guide. If the person completing this form cannot assess the building and its occupants competently, commission appropriate help; the dutyholder must still ensure the work is suitable.

Copyable premises and dutyholder record

Use a drawing or simple annotated plan to identify compartments, exits, escape routes, alarm points, equipment and higher-risk areas. Note when the assessment was actually carried out; copying a previous date into a new version obscures what was inspected. In a multi-occupied building, record who controls which area and how dutyholders share information. The assessment must consider people who may be affected by a fire beyond the particular room or tenancy.

Step 1 — identify credible fire hazards

Walk the premises and speak with people who know how it is used. Record sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen or oxidising conditions, together with the activity that brings them together. Examples can include electrical equipment, cooking, hot work, smoking, heaters, charging equipment, stored waste, packaging, flammable liquids or oxygen enrichment. A source of ignition is not automatically a breach; the question is whether the current controls suit the actual exposure. Check the condition of plant and wiring and any relevant inspection records, but do not treat a certificate as proof that day-to-day fire risks are controlled.

Look especially at storage in escape routes, fire doors held open, damaged seals or closers, combustible materials near heat, waste handling and changes made since the last assessment. For specialist risks, use the relevant sector-specific fire guidance and competent expertise. The Home Office five-step method begins with identifying fire hazards; it does not prescribe that this particular table is legally required.

Step 2 — identify people who could be harmed

List more than a headcount. Consider people working alone or outside normal hours; customers and visitors unfamiliar with the layout; contractors; people with limited mobility, sensory or cognitive impairments; children; residents; people sleeping on site; and those in neighbouring areas who could be affected. Record where they may be and what arrangements actually allow them to receive a warning and reach safety. Do not publish personal medical details in a generally accessible fire risk assessment. Keep person-specific evacuation information appropriately controlled and comply with applicable privacy duties.

For a premises with residents or public access, an office-only assumption about everyone self-evacuating may be dangerously wrong. In England and Wales, the fire risk assessment under the Fire Safety Order considers *relevant persons*, which can include people in the immediate vicinity. Welsh Government Fire Safety Act guidance explains this scope. Obtain specialist advice for complex evacuation scenarios.

Step 3 — evaluate precautions and decide action

Check fire prevention and how a fire would be detected, contained and escaped. Consider the layout and travel routes, doors, compartmentation, alarms, emergency lighting, signage, firefighting equipment, maintenance, emergency plan, training and contractor controls. Evaluate whether precautions remain effective during the busiest, quietest and most vulnerable operating conditions. The GOV.UK workplace fire-safety guide highlights escape routes, warning systems, equipment, dangerous substances, an evacuation plan and vulnerable people. The exact measures depend on premises and assessment; do not use a generic numeric score to imply legal sufficiency.

Write what was seen, not simply “compliant”. If an emergency exit is obstructed or a critical alarm fault is found, record an immediate interim control and refer it to the person who can act. The assessment is a decision and action process, not an inventory of certificates. A risk rating may help prioritize work, but it cannot turn a serious unresolved escape problem into an acceptable condition because its score is low.

Step 4 — record findings, actions, plan and training

Use one action row for each distinct gap. Assign an owner with authority to arrange the work, a due date based on the risk, interim precautions and evidence of completion. Mark actions closed only after someone verifies the work. If the repair requires a specialist or landlord, identify the handoff and keep a record of the request, rather than treating “passed to landlord” as completion.

Attach or reference the emergency plan, worker information and training arrangements. Tell affected people about material findings and how to act. In England and Wales, current Fire Safety Order changes mean responsible persons must record the fire risk assessment and fire-safety arrangements in full, not only a short list of “significant findings” for larger employers. The Welsh Government section 156 guidance sets this out and the GOV.UK workplace guidance says to keep a written record. The whole assessment should remain accessible to those with legal responsibilities, with sensitive information managed appropriately.

Step 5 — review when the premises or risks change

Record a review owner and date, but do not treat one annual reminder as the entire legal rule. Review the assessment if it may no longer be valid, including after a significant alteration to the building, layout, use, occupancy, processes, equipment or people at risk, or after an incident or serious near miss that exposes a gap. Verify whether an action has changed the risk and update the emergency plan and training as necessary. The Scottish Government also says fire risk assessments should be reviewed regularly and actions taken. Scottish Government forms and guidance.

Example: a small shop becomes a mixed retail and workshop space with battery charging in the rear room. The old assessment may still identify the same front door, but the fire load, ignition sources, warning arrangements and escape routes from the new work area may have changed. Reassess the actual configuration and record controls before relying on the previous conclusion. A new template copy with the old answers is not a review.

Which national rules apply?

This page targets Great Britain, but the legal language is not interchangeable:

• England: the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 governs most non-domestic premises and common parts of multi-occupied residential buildings. Use the Home Office five-step checklist only within its stated simple-premises scope, and the relevant premises-specific guide. Additional duties may apply to residential buildings, including Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.
• Wales: the Fire Safety Order also applies, with Welsh Government guidance on responsible-person duties and full recording and a small non-domestic premises guide. Check Wales-specific building and residential rules where relevant.
• Scotland: use the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and the Scottish Government's own assessment forms. Do not label a Scottish dutyholder as an England/Wales Fire Safety Order responsible person or assume the Home Office form is the Scottish statutory form.

Northern Ireland is outside this GB page. If the site is in Northern Ireland, use its own fire-safety regime and regulator guidance. A specialist setting can require more than any general worksheet: sleeping accommodation, hospitals, care premises, large assemblies, hazardous substances, complex mixed occupancy and external-wall issues need the applicable detailed guidance and suitably competent assessment.

Mistakes this template is designed to prevent

1. Filling a form without walking the premises. Copying “no issues” from last year cannot show what exits, fire doors or storage look like now.
2. Treating a five-step checklist as a complete fire strategy. The checklist organizes work; the assessor must judge whether real precautions are sufficient for real people.
3. Ignoring shared and residential interfaces. The tenant's unit, communal route, flat entrance doors and external walls may involve different dutyholders and additional rules. Identify the scope and cooperate with others rather than leave a gap.
4. Scoring away an urgent defect. A blocked final exit requires action, not a low-priority colour.
5. Closing actions on the strength of an email. Verify the actual repair or revised arrangement and record when it took effect.
6. Inventing a universal review cycle. Set practical reminders, but review when material changes make the assessment stale.
7. Equating a generated document with compliance. Product output needs competent, site-specific review and effective measures on the ground.

Complys and the next step

Use the worksheet above to capture an assessment that a competent person can defend and update. Complys has a fire risk assessment software information page, but this template does not promise a live Complys FRA generator, a downloadable file, automatic legal certification or a replacement for an assessor. The current product implementation and the commercial page's claims must be verified before a stronger CTA appears. For the live national starting points, use the Home Office simple-premises checklist or Scottish Government forms as applicable.

Source and claim register — checked 5 October 2026