Our Fire Safety Guide For Commercial Business

In the UK, there are around 22,000 commercial workplace fires each year (source), which highlights the importance of fire safety for businesses. 

Fire safety regulations must be adhered to within commercial properties such as regular visual inspections and fire door checks to ensure precautions and preventive measures are in place to keep employees, customers, and clients safe.

In this blog post, we will cover the rules and regulations for fire safety in commercial premises, what a fire risk assessment is, and who is responsible for overseeing fire safety.

What are the fire regulations for commercial buildings?

Fire safety regulations for commercial buildings affect all businesses and commercial premises such as shops and places of work. It states that annual fire risk assessments must be completed to identify potential risks.

In compliance with the regulations, commercial properties must be equipped with fire extinguishers and other potentially life-saving equipment. It is also necessary to have safety signs, emergency lighting, fire alarms, and fire doors. 

A designated person such as a landlord or employer must be deemed responsible for ensuring that all fire safety measures are in place and in good working order.  

These regulations apply to England and Wales. Find out more about the regulations in Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

At FireSealsDirect, we stock a range of high-quality fire door hardware to ensure the fire doors in your building are compliant.

What is the Fire Safety Act 2021 (FSA)?

In an effort to tackle widespread complacency around fire safety, the Fire Safety Act 2021 was introduced. 

It declares the responsible person/s of a premises must manage fire safety and mitigate the risks of a fire breaking out - this includes conducting a fire risk assessment.

The order applies to all workplaces, commercial or public buildings, and non-domestic parts of multi-occupied residential buildings in England and Wales.

What is a fire risk assessment?

In a fire risk assessment (FRA), fire hazards are evaluated in detail, and methods outlined for preventing a fire from starting are reviewed. 

It is also important to consider the protection in place in case a fire does occur. If a business employs more than five people, the FRA must be legally documented. 

All fire safety equipment must be maintained, serviced, and tested regularly. Learn how to complete a Fire Risk Assessment.

What are the 4 types of fire risk assessment?

There are four types of risk assessment when it comes to multi-occupied premises. 

• Type 1 - Common parts only (non-destructive). Assesses all common parts of a building, such as a lobby or shared area. 
• Type 2 - Common parts only (destructive). Only required should a problem be identified in a type 1 assessment, such as structural flaws. 
• Type 3 - Common parts and flats/bedrooms (non-destructive). Covers all common areas of a building and looks at compartmentation between separate dwellings. 
• Type 4 - Common parts and flats (destructive). Similar to type 2, however, type 4 is more comprehensive and only required if there are serious defects in both common parts and individual dwellings

Do all commercial premises need a fire risk assessment?

By law, all commercial premises must conduct regular fire risk assessments. If your business has more than five employees, you should keep a written record of your fire risk assessment and file this safely as your local fire safety officer will need to see evidence of this upon inspection.

Failure to adhere to regulations is a criminal offence and is treated very seriously. Penalties are becoming harsher to encourage adherence, often resulting in large fines or in extreme cases of negligence, imprisonment. Read more about fire safety penalties. 

Is the commercial landlord responsible for fire safety?

According to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the person responsible for fire safety within a commercial building can be any of the following:

• Employer
• Landlord
• Building owner
• Facilities or building manager
• Occupier

Each premises must have at least one person who ‘makes a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of his employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work’.

It is common in workplaces to assign an employee the role of fire marshal, who ensures all fire safety practices are implemented and reports back to the responsible person.

How often do you need a fire risk assessment?

It is important to review your fire risk assessment at least every 12 months to ensure it is up to date and the building is compliant. 

A brand new assessment should be carried out every three to four years by a competent person or professional as they may identify risks that hadn’t previously been considered. It is also recommended to review a building if its purpose has changed substantially, or the layout has been altered.

How We Can Help

At FireSealsDirect we are experts in passive fire protection. If you have identified a risk in your building, we can help to reduce or remove it.

Get in touch with our technical team on 02920 857 959 or [email protected].