Fire safety in the workplace is a legal duty and a moral responsibility. As the Responsible Person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, you must make sure that your premises are safe, evacuation procedures are clear, and staff know how to respond in an emergency.
Yet, in practice, many organisations discover gaps when they test themselves against the law. Escape routes may be blocked, alarms untested, or records incomplete. These are all common failings picked up during audits and inspections.
To make fire safety easier to manage, PB Safety has created a handy Fire Safety Checklist. It gives business owners, facilities managers, and anyone overseeing workplace fire safety a quick way to assess their current level of compliance. Each question highlights an essential area that must be managed, recorded, and maintained. Here, we outline the questions you should be asking and tips on how to stay compliant.
1. Are your escape routes clear, accessible, and signed?
Safe evacuation starts with clear, accessible, and well-signed exits. Too often, we see corridors cluttered with storage or fire doors propped open. In a fire, these obstructions can cost lives. Your escape routes must remain unobstructed and properly signed at all times.
2. Are your fire alarms tested regularly?
Your fire alarm system is your first line of active defence. Regulations require alarms to be tested and maintained regularly. A faulty alarm can lead to devastating delays in evacuation. PB Safety offers installation, maintenance, and testing to keep your systems compliant.
3. Do you have an up-to-date evacuation plan?
Every building must have a current emergency evacuation plan. This should include site layout, roles and responsibilities, exit routes, firefighting equipment, and muster points and state what actions should be taken in a fire. Plans should be tested with drills and updated when circumstances change.
4. Are fire extinguishers available and serviced?
Extinguishers must be correctly placed, accessible, and serviced to British Standards. Having the wrong extinguisher in the wrong place is as dangerous as having none at all, along with it being the right type for the fire hazard. PB Safety supplies, commissions, and maintains extinguishers so they are always ready for use.
5. Has a compliant fire risk assessment been carried out?
This is not optional. A Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) is the foundation of fire safety. It identifies hazards, evaluates risks, and sets out the measures you need to take. While some businesses attempt to manage this in-house, using a third-party BAFE-certified provider such as PB Safety ensures competence and compliance.
6. Do your staff understand fire precautions and procedures?
Training is a legal requirement, and employee awareness is critical. Do your staff know what to do if the fire alarm sounds? PB Safety delivers tailored fire awareness and extinguisher training, both online and in-person, helping teams build confidence and respond effectively in an emergency.
7. Are fire doors inspected regularly?
Fire doors are vital in slowing the spread of fire and smoke. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 now require quarterly checks in multi-occupied residential buildings over 11 metres, and for commercial premises, six-monthly inspections are best practice.
8. Are all fire safety systems inspected and maintained?
This includes fire alarms, extinguishers, emergency lighting, risers, and lightning protection. Neglecting this not only breaches the law but can also leave you exposed in the event of a fire. PB Safety provides planned maintenance packages to keep your systems in working order.
9. Is smoking restricted to safe, signed areas?
Improper smoking practices are a leading cause of preventable fires. Make sure you have clearly marked smoking areas and enforce no-smoking zones with signage and policy enforcement, and also procedures for vaping.
10. Are your electrical systems and appliances safe?
Poor electrical safety is a major fire risk. Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) and periodic fixed wiring inspections (EICR) must be part of your fire prevention plan.
11. Are your fire safety documents and records up to date?
It’s not enough to take action; you must be able to prove it. Fire safety policies, test logs, training records, and inspection certificates all form part of your compliance evidence. PB Safety offers both paper-based and digital management systems to keep your records organised and accessible.
12. Have you appointed a ‘competent person’?
The Responsible Person must appoint a competent person to assist with fire safety duties. This is not optional. Competent persons should be trained and recognised as capable of carrying out the role. PB Safety provides training for competent persons, approved by IOSH, IFE, IFSM and FireQual.
13. Do you have PEEPs in place for individuals with access needs?
Fire safety must be inclusive. If you have staff or visitors with disabilities or access needs, you are legally required to have Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans in place. These ensure that everyone can evacuate safely and with dignity. We support organisations in developing inclusive, safe, and supportive evacuation strategies.
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If you answered “no” to any of these questions, your business may be at risk of non-compliance, and more importantly, your people may be at risk in the event of a fire.
Don’t wait for a fire inspection or, worse, an emergency to highlight gaps in your fire safety measures. Use our checklist, walk through your premises, and see how many answers you can confidently give as “yes.” For the rest, PB Safety is here to help.
Contact us today to arrange your Fire Risk Assessment or fire safety review.