How often should you conduct a fire risk assessment?

Do you need to book a new fire risk assessment? This type of survey forms an essential part of your fire safety duties, reducing the risks of smoke and fire, which can be deadly and cause major destruction. You must stay on top of your building’s fire safety measures to consider natural wear and tear of installations, property alterations and changes in occupancy, keeping an eye on new hazards.

But how often should you conduct a fire risk survey? Here are our key recommendations.

Should you book a fire risk assessment every year?

A new fire safety inspection is one of the easiest ways to reduce the fire risks at your property. While rigid timeframes aren’t given, the latest UK fire safety regulations suggest checks should be made on a regular basis to keep findings relevant.

The safest thing you can do is to review your building’s fire safety annually or after significant changes, as outlined in the next section of this blog.

When should you get a new fire risk survey?

Fire risk assessments are a legal requirement for businesses, non-domestic premises, paid-for accommodation and shared housing with communal spaces. You can request a specific service for commercial fire risk assessments and HMOs.

You’ll need to regularly review your property’s fire safety as standard, but there are also other circumstances where new checks are necessary. This includes structural and layout changes, occupancy number increases, changes to the building use, awareness of new fire hazards, legislation updates, and fire alarm systems needing a review.

Do you need a fire safety check before a property sale?

This will depend on the type of property. Commercial premises and shared housing may need to show up-to-date records of any fire safety checks completed. However, only some communal areas may need assessing, including fire doors and extinguishers.

Valid fire safety reports can often speed up the sale and provide potential buyers with peace of mind. It can also give you the chance to take corrective action before the process begins.

Can you conduct fire risk assessments during working hours?

Some businesses and landlords worry how much disruption fire risk assessments cause. But on the whole, competent fire risk assessors like MD Fire can work around day-to-day operations without closing your entire operation down.

When you get in touch, we’ll assess what’s required and where we’ll need access to, so it’s advisable we speak to the Responsible Person or duty holder on the day to cover all bases. We can also provide out-of-hours fire risk surveys if required.

Want to book a new fire hazard check for your premises? Contact MD Fire

Need a new fire safety risk assessment in London, Surrey and the South East? MD Fire provides comprehensive fire safety checks to ensure you remain compliant with the latest regulations.

To get started, contact us to receive a free fire risk survey quote.