Online Fire Risk Assessment 

Yes, you can complete an online fire risk assessment yourself if the premises are straightforward, low risk and you are competent to understand the risks. The important test is not whether the document was produced online or by a consultant; it is whether the assessment properly considers the premises, identifies real hazards, records the findings and leads to sensible action. GOV.UK guidance says the responsible person must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment, keep a written record, and may do the assessment themselves with the help of standard guidance where appropriate: GOV.UK fire risk assessment guidance.

A self fire risk assessment is usually most realistic where the person completing it knows the building well. Examples might include a small office, shop, salon, studio, unit, community room or simple shared area where the layout is easy to understand and people can leave without unusual difficulty. You still need to inspect the actual premises rather than answer from memory.

Before completing it, walk the escape routes, look at exits, fire doors, alarms, emergency lighting, extinguishers, electrical equipment, heating, cooking, smoking arrangements, waste storage and combustible materials. Think about who may be affected, including staff, visitors, contractors, lone workers and disabled people.

The key is honesty. If something is missing, blocked, untested or uncertain, record it and add an action. An online assessment should help structure your thinking, not replace it. If the building is complex, people sleep there, vulnerable people rely on assistance, or you are unsure whether escape is safe, use a competent fire risk assessor instead.

A low risk fire risk assessment is most suitable online when the building is simple, the hazards are ordinary, and the person completing the assessment can understand how people would escape if a fire started. “Low risk” does not mean “no risk”. It means the premises do not have features that make fire behaviour, evacuation or legal responsibility difficult to judge.

Typical examples include small non-domestic premises with simple layouts, limited fire hazards and small numbers of employees, customers or visitors. A small office, low-occupancy shop, salon, treatment room, workshop without hazardous processes, or a simple communal area may fit this description. GOV.UK’s guidance for small non-domestic premises is aimed at simpler layouts, lower fire risk, limited hazards and small numbers of people: GOV.UK small non-domestic premises fire safety guidance.

A simple fire risk assessment should still be site-specific. It should consider ignition sources, combustible materials, people at risk, escape routes, alarms, emergency lighting, firefighting equipment, signage, housekeeping and management procedures. It should also produce clear actions, not just a “pass” or “fail”.

An online approach becomes less suitable as uncertainty increases. Multiple floors, confusing layouts, sleeping accommodation, large numbers of the public, vulnerable occupants, industrial processes, flammable substances, basement areas, history of fire, enforcement notices or major refurbishment all suggest that a professional assessment may be safer. The best rule is practical: if you cannot confidently explain how everyone would be warned, escape and reach safety, do not treat the premises as low risk.

An online fire risk assessment should not be used as a shortcut for premises where the fire risks are complex or where the consequences of getting the assessment wrong are high. A guided online process can be useful for simple premises, but it cannot make a complicated building simple.

You should normally use a competent fire risk assessor if people sleep at the premises, such as in hotels, hostels, care homes, some HMOs, guest accommodation or supported living. Sleeping risk changes the assessment because people may be unfamiliar with the building, less alert, or unable to respond quickly. GOV.UK publishes separate fire safety guides for different premises types, including sleeping accommodation, residential care premises, healthcare premises, educational premises, factories and places of assembly: GOV.UK fire safety guidance collection.

Professional help is also sensible where there are vulnerable occupants, large public numbers, confusing escape routes, basement risks, locked or security-controlled exits, unusual construction, heritage features, significant electrical or cooking risks, flammable substances, previous fires, enforcement notices, insurance concerns or unresolved defects in alarms, fire doors or emergency lighting.

Confidence matters too. If you do not understand the layout, cannot judge whether the escape route is protected, do not know what fire doors should do, or feel you are guessing, that is a sign to get help. A good self-assessment process should be honest about its limits. The aim is not to complete a form at all costs; it is to produce a reliable assessment that helps keep people safe.

Before starting an online fire risk assessment, gather the information you would need if you were walking a competent person around the building. The assessment will be stronger if you inspect the premises first, take notes, and have maintenance records to hand.

Start with the basics: the address, use of the premises, number of floors, approximate size, opening hours, number of staff, likely visitor numbers, and whether anyone may need help to escape. Note how people enter and leave, where the final exits are, whether escape routes are clear, and whether doors open easily without special knowledge.

Then check common fire hazards. Look at electrical equipment, extension leads, heaters, cooking equipment, smoking arrangements, hot works, waste storage, stock rooms, cleaning chemicals, bins, plant rooms and areas that are rarely used. Many weak assessments miss cupboards, loft spaces, basements, meter rooms, external bin stores and staff-only areas. GOV.UK’s five-step fire risk assessment checklist prompts responsible persons to consider fire hazards, people at risk, escape routes, alarms, signs, emergency lighting, extinguishers and the action plan: GOV.UK fire risk assessment checklist.

Next, collect fire safety details. Record the type of alarm or detection, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting, exit signage, fire doors, evacuation procedure, staff training, fire drills and maintenance checks. Have dates available for alarm tests, electrical inspections, extinguisher servicing, emergency lighting checks and any gas or appliance maintenance.

Finally, list known problems before you begin. Blocked exits, damaged fire doors, missing signage, untested alarms, poor housekeeping or unclear procedures should not be hidden. Put them into the action plan, with a realistic owner and timescale.

A simple fire risk assessment should cover five practical areas: what could start a fire, what could burn, who could be harmed, whether existing precautions are enough, and what actions are needed. It should be written for the actual premises, not copied from a generic template.

The assessment should identify fire hazards such as electrical equipment, heating, cooking, smoking, arson risk, contractors, hot works, poor housekeeping, combustible stock, waste and flammable materials. It should then identify people at risk, including staff, visitors, customers, contractors, lone workers, young people, elderly people, disabled people and anyone unfamiliar with the building.

The next part is evaluation. This is where you look at whether people would be warned quickly enough, whether they can reach a safe place, and whether the fire precautions match the risk. Useful prompts include alarms and detection, escape routes, final exits, fire doors, emergency lighting, signs, extinguishers, fire separation, maintenance and management arrangements. GOV.UK describes the fire risk assessment process as identifying hazards, identifying people at risk, evaluating and reducing risks, recording findings and reviewing regularly: GOV.UK workplace fire risk assessment guidance.

A good online fire risk assessment should also create a clear action plan. Each action should say what needs doing, how urgent it is, who is responsible and when it should be completed. For example, “clear storage from rear escape route today” is far better than “improve housekeeping”.

Finally, it should include a review date and a record of who completed it. The finished document should help someone else understand the premises, the risks found and the decisions made.

An online fire risk assessment should be reviewed regularly and whenever something significant changes. There is no single expiry date that makes every assessment valid for a fixed number of years. The right review timing depends on the premises, the risks and how much changes over time. GOV.UK says fire risk assessments should be reviewed and updated regularly, while its five-step checklist says they should be reviewed and updated if there are significant changes: GOV.UK fire risk assessment guidance and GOV.UK fire risk assessment checklist.

For many simple, low-risk premises, an annual review is a sensible working routine because it creates a clear habit and keeps records fresh. However, you should not wait for the annual date if something important changes. Review the assessment after layout alterations, a change of use, new tenants, increased occupancy, new equipment, changes to storage, new cooking or heating arrangements, building work, changes to escape routes, fire door repairs, alarm changes, a fire, a near miss, or a serious safety concern.

A review does not always mean starting again. If the premises are unchanged and all controls remain suitable, the review may simply confirm that the existing findings still apply. But the review should still be recorded, dated and signed by the person completing it.

Online assessments can be helpful here because they make it easier to revisit earlier answers and update only what has changed. The important point is ownership. Someone should be responsible for checking that actions were completed, maintenance records are up to date, procedures still work, and the assessment still reflects the building people actually use today.

An online fire risk assessment can be legally valid if it is suitable and sufficient for the premises, completed by someone competent, properly recorded and kept under review. The law does not require the assessment to be written in a particular format or produced by a particular type of software. What matters is the quality of the assessment and whether the responsible person acts on it.

A valid assessment should be specific to the premises. It should identify real fire hazards, real people at risk, existing precautions, gaps, significant findings and the actions needed to reduce risk. It should also show who completed it, when it was completed, when it was reviewed and what fire safety arrangements are in place. GOV.UK’s Section 156 guidance says all responsible persons must record the completed fire risk assessment in full and record fire safety arrangements for the premises: GOV.UK Section 156 fire safety responsibilities.

Digital does not automatically mean compliant. A poor online form with generic answers, no site inspection and no action plan is unlikely to be enough. Equally, a well-structured online assessment for a simple premises can be more useful than a blank template completed badly.

It is also important to understand that a fire risk assessment is not an official certificate. It is a record of your assessment and decisions. If an enforcing authority, insurer, landlord, tenant or managing agent asks to see evidence, the document should make it clear what was checked, what was found, and what action followed. For complex premises, the safer route is to appoint a competent fire risk assessor.

After completing an online fire risk assessment, the most important step is to act on the findings. The document is only useful if it leads to safer premises, clearer responsibilities and better records.

Start with the action plan. Deal first with anything that affects escape, fire warning, fire spread or people who may need help. Examples include blocked exits, defective fire doors, missing alarm testing, unclear evacuation procedures, damaged emergency lighting, unsafe storage or combustible materials in escape routes. Give each action an owner and a timescale. Urgent life-safety issues should not be left until the next review.

Next, share the relevant information. Staff should know what to do if they discover a fire, hear the alarm, need to call the fire service or help visitors leave. In shared buildings, responsible persons may need to co-operate with landlords, managing agents or neighbouring occupiers so that each assessment supports the wider building arrangements. GOV.UK includes emergency planning, staff information and training within the fire risk assessment process, and its Section 156 guidance stresses co-operation between responsible persons in shared premises: GOV.UK workplace fire safety responsibilities and GOV.UK Section 156 guidance.

Then organise the routine checks that keep the assessment alive. This may include alarm tests, emergency lighting checks, extinguisher servicing, fire door checks, electrical inspections, housekeeping inspections, staff training and fire drills. Keep records of what was checked and when.

Finally, set a review date and update the assessment when something changes. A good assessment is not a one-off file stored and forgotten. It should become the working record that shows how fire safety is managed day to day.