FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT in an OFFICE / RETAIL SHOP on 0800 776 5018 in the UK

Posted on 22nd April, 2026

A Fire Risk Assessment required in an Office or Retail Shop in the United Kingdom
Thought for 16s
 
Yes. A fire risk assessment is a legal requirement for almost every office and retail shop in the United Kingdom. There is no “too small” exemption for a workplace.
 
 
The duty sits on the responsible person (England and Wales) or dutyholder (Scotland). In a workplace that is usually the employer if they control the premises. It can also be the occupier, owner, landlord or managing agent. In a multi-occupied building there may be several responsible persons, who must co-operate.
 
 
England and WalesThe law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. It applies to offices, shops and other non-domestic premises. It does not apply to an office in private domestic accommodation used only as a home.
 
 
The responsible person must:
  • Carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment
  • Take general fire precautions that are reasonably practicable
  • Keep the assessment under review, and revise it after significant change (layout, occupancy, processes, a fire or near miss)
Recording (important change from 1 October 2023):
Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 amended the Order. Every responsible person must now:
  • Record the fire risk assessment in full (not only “significant findings”)
  • Record the fire safety arrangements (how fire safety is managed day to day)
  • Record the name of any person or organisation who carried out or reviewed the assessment
The old “five or more employees” recording threshold no longer applies. A one-person shop or a three-person office still needs a written assessment.
 
 
Fire Risk Assessments for Offices and Shops covered by (Home Office, Article 50 guidance). It covers purpose-built or converted offices, individual shop or office units in a larger complex, but not the overall management of a multi-use shopping centre (use the large places of assembly guide for that).Scotland and Northern IrelandEquivalent duties apply, under different statutes:
  • Scotland: Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006
  • Northern Ireland: Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and Fire Safety Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2010
A fire risk assessment is still required for offices and shops. Recording rules in Scotland still generally turn on five or more employees, a licence/registration, or an alterations notice — they have not copied the 2023 England and Wales “record everything, every premises” change in the same way. Use the relevant national guidance rather than assuming England rules apply.
 
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What the assessment must do The usual five-step approach is:
  1. Identify fire hazards (ignition, fuel, oxygen) — electrics, cooking/tea points, stock, packaging, waste, arson
  2. Identify people at risk — staff, customers, contractors, lone workers, people with disabilities, people unfamiliar with the building
  3. Evaluate the risk and decide what to remove, reduce or protect against — detection and alarm, escape routes, emergency lighting, signs, extinguishers, compartmentation, housekeeping
  4. Record findings, prepare an emergency plan, inform and train people
  5. Review
For a small, simple, single-storey open-plan office or shop, the assessment can be straightforward. For a multi-storey building, shared stairs, public access, high stock density or mixed use, a competent external assessor is usually needed. The law requires competence; the responsible person remains legally accountable even if they hire someone.
 
 
Practical points for offices and shops
  • Offices: electrical overload, paper and packaging, kitchens, hot works during fit-out, shared escape routes in multi-let buildings
  • Retail: stock rooms, seasonal displays, crowded public areas, blocked aisles and exits, waste and deliveries
  • Tenants are usually responsible for their demise; the landlord/freeholder for common parts. Put co-operation in writing
  • Home working from a private dwelling does not itself require an FSO fire risk assessment of the home, though an employer still has health and safety duties toward homeworkers
Failure to assess, record (where required) or act on findings can lead to enforcement notices, prohibition, unlimited fines and prosecution. Fire and rescue services enforce.If you say which nation the premises is in, roughly how large it is, and whether it is single-occupancy or multi-let, the steps can be narrowed further.
 
 
CALL 0800 776 5018 to book a Fire Risk Assessment or to obtain a price . E Mail : sales@fireinspector.co.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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