UK Fire Safety

Fire safety in non-domestic premises in England and Wales is governed by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the “Fire Safety Order”, or FSO). It places duties on a responsible person to assess and manage the risk of fire, protect people, and plan for an emergency. It sits alongside — not instead of — your general duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

This page is not legal advice. For specific compliance questions, consult a qualified fire-safety advisor or your local fire and rescue authority.

Scotland has its own fire-safety regime

The Fire Safety Order applies in England and Wales only. Scotland has a separate regime under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, which impose broadly equivalent duties (a “duty-holder” must carry out a fire risk assessment and manage fire safety) but differ in detail and terminology. If you operate in Scotland, follow the Scottish legislation and the Scottish Government’s fire-safety guidance rather than the FSO. (Northern Ireland has its own separate regime again.)

The rest of this page describes the Fire Safety Order (England and Wales).

The responsible person

The Fire Safety Order places its duties on the responsible person. In a workplace, this is the employer (where the workplace is under their control). It can also be the owner, occupier, or any other person who has control of the premises or any part of them. Where more than one person has some control, each is a responsible person to the extent of their control, and they must cooperate and coordinate.

The responsible person must take general fire precautions to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of employees and of other relevant persons (visitors, contractors, members of the public) who may be on or near the premises.

SteadyOn support: Record fire as a hazard in the Hazard Register, with the responsible person identified and the controls documented. Where multiple parties share premises, the public incident reporting link lets contractors and visitors flag fire-safety concerns without a SteadyOn account.

The fire risk assessment

The cornerstone duty of the Order is to carry out (and keep up to date) a fire risk assessment. It must identify the fire hazards, the people at risk, and the measures needed to remove or reduce the risk and protect people. As with the general risk-assessment duty, the responsible person must record the significant findings (and this is now required regardless of the number of employees, following reforms made by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Building Safety Act 2022).

A fire risk assessment typically considers:

Sources of ignition, fuel, and oxygen
Who is at risk, including people especially at risk (those with mobility impairments, lone workers, visitors)
Means of escape — routes, exits, signage, and lighting
Detection and warning — alarms and how people are alerted
Fire-fighting equipment — extinguishers and their maintenance
Emergency plans, evacuation procedures, and assembly points
The information, instruction, and training people need

SteadyOn support: The fire risk assessment itself is a document — store and version-control it in the Documents module. Record the individual fire hazards it identifies in the Hazard Register so their controls are tracked and reviewed, with the BRAG status flagging when a review is overdue.

Escape routes, exits, and signage

The Order requires that emergency routes and exits are kept clear, lead as directly as possible to a place of safety, are adequate for the number of people, and are indicated by signs. Emergency lighting must be provided where needed, and fire-safety equipment must be subject to a suitable system of maintenance.

SteadyOn support: Use the Inspections module (Fire Safety Inspection template) to schedule and record regular checks of escape routes, exits, signage, emergency lighting, and fire-fighting equipment. Store servicing certificates in the Documents module.

Emergency procedures, drills, and fire wardens

The responsible person must establish appropriate emergency procedures, including raising the alarm and evacuating, and must nominate enough competent persons to implement those procedures. Good practice — and effective compliance — means practising the evacuation through regular fire drills and keeping a record of them.

Fire wardens (sometimes called fire marshals) are the competent persons who help ensure a safe and orderly evacuation: sweeping their area, assisting people who need help, and reporting to the assembly point. They must be trained for the role, and training should be refreshed periodically and whenever the procedures change.

SteadyOn support:

Requirement	SteadyOn record
Fire risk assessment document	Documents — store the current assessment
Fire warden training records	Training Courses + Enrollments (course: “Fire Warden”)
Drill scheduling	Inspections — schedule a drill from the Fire Safety template
Drill completion records	Inspections — record outcomes and notes
Warden certification expiry	Enrollment BRAG — flags expiring warden training

Add a Training Course called “Fire Warden Training” and enrol your wardens. Define a Role called “Fire Warden” with the course as a Requirement. The enrollment BRAG flags certifications approaching expiry and prompts retraining before wardens lapse.

Enforcement

The Fire Safety Order is enforced by the local fire and rescue authority (not the HSE). Inspectors can issue alterations notices, enforcement notices, and prohibition notices (restricting or prohibiting use of premises where the risk to people is serious). Failure to comply can lead to prosecution and substantial fines. In Scotland, enforcement sits with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service under the Scottish legislation.

Relationship to your general H&S duties

Your duty of care under HSWA 1974 and the Management Regulations already requires you to maintain a safe workplace and to plan for serious and imminent danger — which includes fire. The Fire Safety Order sets the detailed, fire-specific standard for that one aspect. Meeting it satisfies part of your H&S obligation, but not all of it.

Think of it this way:

Fire Safety Order (or Scottish regime) — the detailed fire-safety standard
Management Regulations — the general emergency-procedures duty that fire safety sits within
WHS hazard register — your documented evidence that fire risk is being actively managed
SteadyOn — the system that ties them together

Summary checklist

Requirement	How to manage in SteadyOn
Fire risk assessment	Documents — upload current assessment
Fire hazards and controls	Hazards — document the risk and controls
Escape routes / exits / signage checks	Inspections — Fire Safety template
Emergency lighting checks	Inspections — Fire Safety template
Fire-fighting equipment maintenance	Inspections — Fire Safety template + Documents (certificates)
Fire warden appointments and training	Roles + People + Training Courses
Fire drill scheduling	Inspections — schedule recurring drill
Fire drill records	Inspections — record completion + notes