Protect your business and employees
Fire Safety in the Workplace
Overloaded plug sockets, faulty electrical equipment, and covered office heaters. All of these hazards can happen at work and the effects can be devastating for your employees and business reputation.
If fire safety at work isn’t treated seriously it has the potential to injure or kill large numbers of people. Even if harm is avoided, the costs of a serious fire can be significant, and many businesses do not recover. Explore our expert insights to match your duty of care as an employer and turn to us for expert fire safety services for businesses.
Helping you with
Fire safety at work protects your people and property
Helping you with
Fire safety at work protects your people and property
Helping you with
Fire safety at work protects your people and property
Fires happen in all industries. In some, where there are large quantities of waste and combustible materials, dust build-up and/or flammable liquids and vapours, the risk is amplified.
Whether you’re a school or a manufacturing facility, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, you must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure people can escape safely should one occur. If you’re not equipped to manage this risk yourself, the WorkNest team of UK health & safety specialists is here to help.
Ensure your fire safety arrangements are effective and review and remedy potential fire hazards through an on-site health and safety audit (General Risk Assessment)
Get a more in-depth picture of fire risk with a specific Fire Risk Assessment, provided either by ourselves or our partners depending on your level of risk, should this be required
Develop internal awareness and competence with RoSPA-approved eLearning training, including fire safety essentials, fire wardens and DSEAR courses
Access expert-created templates, checklists and forms from our full-version Knowledge Hub available via myWorkNest
Maintain safety and compliance with unlimited advice and support from a dedicated Health & Safety specialist
Creating a workplace fire safety strategy that works
Creating a workplace fire safety strategy that works
Creating a workplace fire safety strategy that works
All organisations, regardless of size or sector, should have a fire strategy. Do you have an evacuation plan setting out a suitable method for raising the alarm and means of escape? Are your fire management system and fire safety controls monitored for effectiveness? Do staff know what to do in the event of a fire through induction training, regular refreshers and drills?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, your fire prevention strategy and emergency arrangements may fall short of legal requirements and you may be putting your people, business and reputation at risk.
All organisations, regardless of size or sector, should have a fire strategy. Do you have an evacuation plan setting out a suitable method for raising the alarm and means of escape? Are your fire management system and fire safety controls monitored for effectiveness? Do staff know what to do in the event of a fire through induction training, regular refreshers and drills?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, your fire prevention strategy and emergency arrangements may fall short of legal requirements and you may be putting your people, business and reputation at risk.
How many steps make up a fire safety risk assessment?
A fire safety risk assessment is typically made up of five key steps. This process involves a thorough inspection of the premises to identify potential fire hazards, ensure steps are in place to prevent fires from starting, and confirm that suitable fire protection measures are available to safeguard everyone in the building. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of the fire risk assessment process.
1. Chemicals
2. Fumes
3. Vapours
4. Gases
5. Biological agents
5. Understanding your duty of care
5. Meeting your duty of care
1. Chemicals
2. Fumes
3. Vapours
4. Gases
5. Biological agents
5. Understanding your duty of care
5. Meeting your duty of care
Our specialist UK team already support 40,000+ businesses with H&S needs. Contact us today for a free consultation and ensure compliance with the risk of fires.
Explore our fixed-fee Employment Law support
Advice Line
Fast, pragmatic, commercial. Our Employment Law & HR advice line gives you and your managers access to truly unlimited advice on all of your people-related challenges, from the seemingly straightforward to the most complex.
HR matters come with the territory when you run a business or manage an organisation and we’re here to help you through it all. Whether you’re battling absenteeism, struggling to manage an underperforming employee or need help navigating a complicated exercise like redundancy, we can walk you through the steps required to handle the situation appropriately.
Yes. All of our advisers are qualified legal professionals or on the road to formal qualification, which means a full range of employee issues can be dealt with within your dedicated three-person team. In the event that you’re presented with an Employment Tribunal claim, we will conduct a full handover to our Litigation Team so that they are well equipped to defend you.
Why choose us?
Access vital fire safety tactics to protect your business
Why choose us?
Access vital fire safety tactics to protect your business
Why choose us?
Access vital fire safety tactics to protect your business
If you’re not confident in your current practices, or don’t have professional support in place, our network of qualified health & safety consultants can help you to build a safe and compliant working environment through expert support tailored to your organisation.
Approved by a Primary Authority
Dedicated specialists with recognised qualifications
Genuine hands-on experience of managing risk
Unlimited 24/7 advice, award-winning software and policy support
The confidence to act as one of your competent persons
Gain crucial employment law and compliance certification
Our Team
Cross-industry expertise, ready to support you
Practical support, made personal
Trusted by employers across the UK
We support over 40,000 UK employers, from small businesses with fewer than 50 employees to well-known household names with large, multi-site workforces.
Amnesty International UK has partnered with WorkNest for over six years across both Health & Safety and Fire Safety, and they have become a trusted extension of our team. Their advice is practical, responsive, and tailored to how we operate, helping us maintain strong compliance across our offices and retail sites. The combination of expert support and easy-to-use systems has made a real difference to how we manage risk day to day. We would highly recommend WorkNest to any organisation looking for a reliable and proactive safety partner.
Operations Manager
FAQs
It’s crucial as it protects the lives of employees, matches UK legal compliance expectations, and can prevent damage to your property. It’s your duty of care as an employer to undertake fire safety in the workplace checks, including a workplace assessment, and failure to do so may result in considerable legal implications (major fines and potentially imprisonment).
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 states it’s a legal obligation for UK businesses to conduct an assessment. The responsible person is the main duty holder, but you can outsource to third-party experts to support your assessment.
Yes, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 it’s a legal requirement. As an employer, you need to provide:
Initial and regular training (to employees and managers)
Cover the correct training content (e.g. prevention measures, alarms, extinguisher usage)
Provide training through a competent person with the necessary skills
Designant a fire warden officer
Update training materials regularly
The drills ensure our workforce is prepared for a potential real life emergency. The test familiarises employees with the safety procedures you have, may prevent panic in the event of a real fire, and demonstrates that your evacuation plans work.
The assessment must be updated by a responsible person. In most instances it’s you the employer, meaning you must regularly ensure your risk assessment is up-to-date with UK legal compliance standards.
It’s crucial as it protects the lives of employees, matches UK legal compliance expectations, and can prevent damage to your property. It’s your duty of care as an employer to undertake fire safety in the workplace checks, including a workplace assessment, and failure to do so may result in considerable legal implications (major fines and potentially imprisonment).
Yes, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 it’s a legal requirement. As an employer, you need to provide:
Initial and regular training (to employees and managers)
Cover the correct training content (e.g. prevention measures, alarms, extinguisher usage)
Provide training through a competent person with the necessary skills
Designant a fire warden officer
Update training materials regularly
The assessment must be updated by a responsible person. In most instances it’s you the employer, meaning you must regularly ensure your risk assessment is up-to-date with UK legal compliance standards.
Yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety Order) 2005 states it’s a legal obligation for UK businesses to conduct an assessment. The responsible person is the main duty holder, but you can outsource to third-party experts to support your assessment.
The drills ensure our workforce is prepared for a potential real life emergency. The test familiarises employees with the safety procedures you have, may prevent panic in the event of a real fire, and demonstrates that your evacuation plans work.
