How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?
Published · 5 min read
UK law requires a fire risk assessment to be reviewed "regularly" and whenever there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or the premises have significantly changed. In practice the accepted convention is a review every 12 months and a full reassessment every one to three years depending on risk — with an immediate review after fires, near misses, building alterations or changes in occupancy.
What the law actually says
Article 9(3) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to review the assessment regularly so as to keep it up to date, and specifically where there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates. No fixed interval is set in law — the interval is a matter of professional judgement recorded in the report itself.
The accepted convention
Most professional assessors recommend an annual review of the assessment, with a new full assessment every one to three years depending on the risk profile, occupancy and stability of the premises. Higher-risk premises — sleeping accommodation, care settings, buildings with a history of deficiencies — sit at the shorter end. The assessor’s recommended review date should appear on the face of the report.
Events that trigger an immediate review
Regardless of the scheduled date, the assessment should be reviewed after:
- A fire or near miss, however small.
- Structural alterations, extensions or internal reconfiguration.
- A change of use or significant change in occupancy numbers or profile.
- New processes, equipment or storage of dangerous substances.
- Findings from a fire and rescue authority audit or insurer survey.
- Repeated failures in testing and maintenance records.
Renewal assessments: start from last year, not from scratch
A renewal visit is not a blank page. Carrying forward last year’s assessment — its site details, checklist responses and outstanding actions — lets the assessor concentrate on what has changed and formally record which previous recommendations were completed. AssessHub’s clone-from-last-year workflow does exactly this: outstanding observations carry forward for review, completed ones are recorded as such, and the new report shows the year-on-year picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is an annual fire risk assessment a legal requirement?
Not explicitly. The law requires regular review and review on significant change. An annual review is the widely accepted convention that demonstrates regular review in practice, and many insurers expect it.
Who is responsible for arranging the review?
The responsible person under the Fire Safety Order — usually the employer, owner or managing agent — is responsible for keeping the assessment up to date, though the review itself is normally carried out by a competent fire risk assessor.
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