Fire Risk Assessments for Offices and Shops

The same basic assessment process applies, but the risks can be different.

An office assessment may need to consider:

• Computer and electrical equipment
• Kitchens and staff breakout areas
• Meeting rooms and changing occupancy
• Flexible or shared workspaces
• Employees working alone or outside normal hours
• Server rooms and plant areas
• Contractors and refurbishment work

A retail fire risk assessment may place greater emphasis on:

• Members of the public unfamiliar with the premises
• High customer numbers
• Seasonal displays and changing layouts
• Stockrooms and combustible packaging
• Electrical displays and lighting
• Changing rooms and concealed areas
• Deliveries and waste
• Security arrangements on final exits

The government’s offices-and-shops guide applies to purpose-built or converted offices, individual shops and units forming part of larger developments. It does not cover the overall management of a large multi-use shopping complex, which can require a wider assessment approach.

In England and Wales, responsibility can rest with employers, owners, landlords, occupiers and anyone else with control over the premises.

In a leased shop or office, there may be several Responsible Persons:

• The employer controls staff and business activities
• The tenant controls the occupied unit
• The landlord or managing agent controls shared areas
• Contractors may temporarily control work or equipment
• A shopping-centre operator may control common malls and building-wide systems

These parties must co-operate and co-ordinate their fire-safety arrangements. A tenant should not assume the landlord’s building assessment covers the tenant’s stock, staff, internal layout or working practices. Equally, the tenant’s assessment cannot confirm that shared stairs, smoke-control systems or common alarms are being managed correctly.

See Who Is Responsible for a Fire Risk Assessment? for a fuller explanation of shared duties.

For the complete assessment and legal framework, use Fire Risk Assessments in the UK: The Complete Guide.

Businesses operating from commercial premises must ensure that a fire risk assessment is completed and that appropriate precautions are maintained.

In England and Wales, the completed FRA and fire-safety arrangements must now be recorded in full, regardless of the size of the business or number of employees. Where someone is appointed to complete or review the assessment, their name and organisation must also be recorded.

A small premises does not receive a lower assessment standard. Its FRA may be shorter and simpler, but it must still be suitable and sufficient for the actual risks.

An office located entirely within a private domestic home is not generally treated in the same way as separate commercial office premises under the offices-and-shops guidance.

A suitable commercial premises fire risk assessment should consider:

• The premises and activities taking place
• Employees, customers and other people at risk
• Sources of ignition and combustible materials
• Fire detection and warning
• Escape routes and exits
• Emergency lighting and signs
• Fire doors and internal fire spread
• Firefighting equipment
• Emergency procedures and staff training
• Inspection and maintenance
• Significant findings and required actions

The report should define the assessment boundaries, identify inaccessible areas and state whether specialist inspection is required.

See What Should a Fire Risk Assessment Include? for detailed report requirements.

The assessment should consider everyone who may be present, not only permanent employees.

This can include:

• Customers and visitors
• Contractors and delivery drivers
• Agency and temporary staff
• People working alone
• Staff working outside normal hours
• Children or older customers
• People with mobility, sensory or cognitive impairments
• Anyone unfamiliar with the building

Shops must consider that customers may not recognise staff-only escape routes or understand an alarm immediately.

Offices should account for visitors in meeting rooms, hybrid staff who attend infrequently and contractors working in plant rooms or isolated areas.

The emergency plan should explain how people requiring assistance will be supported without relying on the Fire and Rescue Service to provide their routine evacuation arrangements.

Common ignition sources include:

• Damaged electrical equipment
• Overloaded sockets and extension leads
• Portable heaters
• Cooking appliances
• Smoking
• Hot work
• Battery charging
• Lighting and display equipment
• Contractors’ tools

Potential fuel can include paper records, furniture, packaging, stock, decorations and waste.

The assessor should consider how ignition sources and combustible materials are controlled. Stock or packaging should not be stored in electrical cupboards, plant rooms or escape routes.

Retail layouts may change frequently. Promotional displays, temporary stands and seasonal stock can reduce aisle widths, conceal signs or obstruct exits if fire safety is not considered when the layout changes.

Where part of the premises includes manufacturing, significant processing or extensive warehouse storage, the office-and-shops approach may no longer be sufficient. See Fire Risk Assessments for Factories and Warehouses.

The FRA should establish how many people can safely use the premises and whether they can reach a suitable exit before conditions become dangerous.

The assessor may consider:

• Number and location of exits
• Travel distances
• Exit and staircase capacity
• Door direction and fastenings
• Aisle and corridor widths
• Final-exit security
• Emergency lighting
• Fire-safety signs
• Alternative escape routes

A quiet inspection does not necessarily represent the most demanding conditions.

A shop should be considered at its expected busiest time, including seasonal peaks and sales events. An office should account for conferences, training sessions, shared meeting spaces and employees from other locations.

Security arrangements must not prevent escape. Electronic access control, shutters and locked doors should fail or release in a way that allows people to leave safely.

The alarm must be capable of warning everyone who may be at risk.

The assessment should consider:

• Detection coverage
• Manual alarm points
• Alarm audibility and visibility
• Links between tenant and landlord systems
• Testing and maintenance
• Procedures outside normal hours
• Arrangements for people who may not hear the alarm

In shared buildings, tenants should understand whether activating an alarm in one unit warns the rest of the building and whether different systems are connected.

Staff should know:

• How to raise the alarm
• Which exits to use
• Who calls the Fire and Rescue Service
• How visitors are directed
• Where to assemble
• How an evacuation is confirmed
• What to do if an exit is unavailable

A written procedure has limited value where staff have not been instructed or the arrangements have never been tested.

The assessor should consider whether fire doors protect stairways, corridors, stockrooms, kitchens and higher-risk areas.

Fire doors should not be wedged open or damaged by alterations, cabling or unsuitable access-control equipment.

Suitable firefighting equipment should be provided where necessary, located appropriately and maintained. Staff expected to use an extinguisher should receive suitable information or training and should not be placed at unnecessary risk.

Where extinguisher types, positioning or maintenance records are unclear, an inspection by suitable Fire Extinguisher Contractors may be required.

The FRA considers whether the overall provision appears appropriate. It does not replace detailed system servicing, electrical inspection or equipment certification.

Office and retail premises can change quickly.

The FRA should be reviewed when changes affect:

• Internal partitions
• Shop displays or office furniture
• Occupancy levels
• Stock type or quantity
• Storage areas
• Electrical equipment
• Opening hours
• Disabled access or evacuation needs
• Fire alarms, doors or escape routes

A landlord’s approval or building-control completion certificate does not remove the need to review the operational FRA after a fit-out.

Temporary construction work can also introduce hot work, isolated alarms, blocked routes and combustible materials. The building’s normal precautions and emergency arrangements should remain effective throughout the work.

Some small, straightforward offices and shops may be assessed internally by someone who has sufficient knowledge and understands the limits of their competence.

Professional assistance is more appropriate where:

• The premises are large or multi-storey
• Public occupancy is high
• The unit is within a complex shared building
• Escape routes pass through other occupancies
• The building has been extensively converted
• Fire-safety systems are interconnected
• Technical or enforcement concerns already exist

Government guidance confirms that simpler commercial premises may use structured guidance, but the precautions must still be determined through an individual suitable and sufficient assessment.

See Can You Carry Out Your Own Fire Risk Assessment?.

No.

An FRA identifies hazards, people at risk and the precautions required. A wider fire-safety audit may examine corporate procedures, compliance records, contractor management and performance across several sites.

The services can overlap, but clients should not compare quotations without confirming whether each provider is offering an assessment, an audit or both.

See Fire Risk Assessment vs Fire Safety Audit.

Yes.

England and Wales primarily use the Fire Safety Order for workplaces and commercial premises.

Scotland uses the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. Scottish guidance covers existing commercial and other non-residential premises and requires dutyholders to assess risk, implement appropriate precautions and keep the assessment under review.

Northern Ireland operates under the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 and related regulations. NIFRS provides a specific offices-and-shops guide and assessment templates for businesses.

For a full comparison, see Fire Risk Assessment Legal Requirements Across the UK.

When comparing Fire Risk Assessment Companies, provide each company with the same information:

• Premises type, size and number of floors
• Maximum employee and public occupancy
• Shared-building arrangements
• Opening and working hours
• Existing FRA and action plan
• Fire-alarm and maintenance records
• Recent fit-outs or layout changes
• Known concerns and access restrictions

The quotation should confirm the areas included, expected inspection time, report format, named assessor and any exclusions.

See How to Compare Fire Risk Assessment Quotes before selecting on price alone.

The wider appointment process is explained in How Commercial Fire Protection Tendering Works and Fire Protection Tenders in the UK: The Complete Guide.

Office occupiers, retailers, landlords and managing agents can compare Fire Risk Assessment Companies with relevant experience of commercial and multi-occupied premises.

Fire risk assessors and consultancies can view Fire Risk Assessment Tenders for office, retail and commercial assessment opportunities.

Does every office and shop need a fire risk assessment?

Commercial and workplace premises require a suitable fire risk assessment under the applicable national fire-safety regime. In England and Wales, the completed assessment must be recorded in full.

Is the tenant or landlord responsible?

Both may have responsibilities. The tenant normally controls its staff, activities and internal layout, while the landlord or managing agent may control shared areas and building-wide systems.

Does a shop need a new FRA when its layout changes?

The assessment should be reviewed whenever displays, stock, partitions or occupancy changes could affect fire risks or escape arrangements. A new inspection may be required where the existing FRA no longer represents the premises.

Can a small office complete its own FRA?

Potentially, where the premises and risks are straightforward and the person completing it has sufficient competence. Larger or shared premises often justify professional assistance.

Does the FRA include extinguisher servicing?

No. The assessment may consider whether extinguisher provision appears suitable, but detailed inspection and maintenance normally require a competent specialist contractor.