Phoenix Journal · Fire Safety
A competent fire risk assessor has usually formed a first impression before they have opened a folder, because how a building is run shows in the first few minutes. Knowing what they look for lets you see your premises the way they will.
A fire risk assessment is not a tick-box visit; it is a structured, professional judgement about how likely a fire is, who would be harmed, and whether the precautions in place are enough. A competent assessor working to a recognised methodology arrives with a clear mental checklist, and much of what shapes their conclusion is visible in the first walk through the door. Understanding that checklist is the fastest way to see your own premises as they will.
Most non-domestic assessments in the UK follow the structure of PAS 79-1, the recommended methodology for premises other than housing. It organises the work into clear stages: describe the premises and who uses it, identify the fire hazards, identify the people at risk including anyone vulnerable, evaluate the existing fire protection and management, then record the significant findings with an action plan and a review date. The Fire Safety Order requires the assessor to be a competent person, meaning suitable training, experience and knowledge, and good assessors treat that structure not as bureaucracy but as a way of making their judgement visible and defensible. PAS 79-1 organises the work into ten sections, from the premises description and relevant legislation through to the significant findings and conclusions, so nothing material is left unrecorded.
The first walk-through
Before any paperwork, the assessor is reading the fabric and housekeeping of the building. Are escape routes clear and unobstructed, or is a corridor stacked with deliveries? Are fire doors sound and closing properly, or wedged open? Is there emergency lighting, are extinguishers in date, does the alarm look maintained? Inadequate means of escape is consistently the single most common fire safety failing found at audit in England, so a blocked exit or a disabled self-closer is exactly the kind of thing that shapes an assessor's view early and colours everything that follows.
They are also assessing management as much as hardware, because two identical buildings can present very different risks depending on how they are run. A tidy, well-ordered premises with disciplined housekeeping reads as a well-managed risk; clutter, propped doors and improvised fixes read as a place where fire safety is an afterthought. The assessor will rate different areas separately where the risk differs, and a commercial kitchen is almost always rated as a higher-risk area in its own right, distinct from the dining room or office next door.
Then come the documents. A thorough assessor will expect to see the previous fire risk assessment and evidence that its actions were closed out, plus the maintenance and testing records that prove the protection works: alarm and emergency lighting servicing, extinguisher checks, electrical inspection, fire door inspections, and the servicing of any fire suppression. Missing records do not just create gaps in a report; they suggest the underlying maintenance may be missing too. The strongest reports also record what was not inspected and why, so the scope of the assessor's judgement is transparent rather than assumed.
Where the hardest look lands
In any premises with a commercial kitchen, the assessor's attention goes straight to the cookline, because that is where the fire is most likely to start. They will look at the cooking equipment, the extraction system and its cleaning regime, and the suppression over the line, and they will ask for the records that prove the extract is cleaned on schedule. This is the same evidence trail that matters when you prepare for a fire safety inspection: the certificate that shows when the ductwork was last cleaned, to what standard and by whom. An assessor who asks for it and is handed it immediately has learned something reassuring about the whole operation.
The paper trail
Almost everything an assessor concludes rests on evidence, and the strongest thing you can do before a visit is have the paperwork in order. That means the current fire risk assessment, the emergency plan, training and drill records, and the full set of maintenance certificates gathered in one place rather than scattered across inboxes and drawers. Knowing which compliance documents every facilities manager should keep turns a nervous visit into a straightforward one, because the assessor's questions have already been answered before they are asked. The record is not the safety itself, but it is the proof, and to an assessor proof is what counts.
Questions
The Fire Safety Order requires a competent person, meaning appropriate training, experience and knowledge rather than one fixed qualification. In practice, look for membership of a recognised professional body such as the Institution of Fire Engineers, or registration with a third-party certification scheme, and experience of your type of premises.
It varies with the size and complexity of the premises. A simple workplace might take a few hours on site plus time to write up; a complex building such as a care home or large catering operation can take a full day or more, including reviewing records and inspecting plant and escape routes.
The previous fire risk assessment and evidence its actions were completed, the emergency plan, staff training and fire drill records, and maintenance certificates for the alarm, emergency lighting, extinguishers, electrical installation, fire doors, any suppression system, and kitchen extract cleaning. Having them together saves time and reflects well on the management of the premises.
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