Fire Risk Assessment for Offices
Professional Fire Risk Assessments for Offices and Commercial Premises Across South Wales
Helping office-based businesses stay safe, compliant and protected
Fire Risk Assessments for Offices in South Wales
Firebugged provides professional fire risk assessments for offices and commercial premises across South Wales. Whether you occupy a single-floor office suite, a multi-storey commercial building or a managed workspace shared with other businesses, the responsible person must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Led by Paul Williams, a Level 4 qualified fire risk assessor with more than 26 years of experience, Firebugged delivers clear, practical fire risk assessments for office premises across South Wales.
This includes office fire risk assessments in Cardiff, as well as services throughout Newport, Swansea, Bridgend, the Vale of Glamorgan, Pontypridd and the wider South Wales region.
Is a Fire Risk Assessment a Legal Requirement for Offices?
Yes. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person for a workplace must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is completed.
Depending on the way the building is occupied and managed, the responsible person may be the employer, building owner, landlord, facilities manager or another person with control of the premises. In shared office buildings, more than one responsible person may have duties.
The assessment must be kept under review, revised when necessary and acted upon. Responsible persons must record the fire risk assessment and fire-safety arrangements in full, regardless of the number of employees.
Failure to comply with the Fire Safety Order can result in enforcement notices, restrictions on the use of the premises and, in serious cases, prosecution.
What Does an Office Fire Risk Assessment Cover?
Office environments present their own fire risks, including electrical equipment, server rooms, kitchen areas, open-plan layouts, obstructed escape routes and the complications created by shared buildings.
A Firebugged office fire risk assessment can include:
- Ignition sources—electrical equipment, overloaded sockets, IT infrastructure, kitchen appliances and other potential sources of ignition
- Escape routes—corridors, stairwells, final exits and assembly arrangements assessed for suitability
- Fire-detection and alarm systems—considering the coverage and suitability of existing systems for the size, layout and use of the premises
- Emergency lighting—assessing whether escape routes can be used safely if the normal lighting fails
- Fire doors—considering their condition, operation and role in protecting escape routes and compartments
- Firefighting equipment—reviewing the type, provision and positioning of equipment where applicable
- Compartmentation—considering the fire-resisting separation between offices, floors, escape routes and shared spaces
- Fire-safety signage—checking whether relevant fire-exit and action information is suitably displayed
- Staff, visitors and contractors—considering evacuation procedures, responsibilities and people who may require assistance
- Fire-safety management—reviewing relevant testing, maintenance, training and record-keeping arrangements
- A written report—setting out significant findings and prioritised recommendations
Multi-Tenancy and Shared Office Buildings
If your office is located in a building shared with other businesses, fire-safety responsibilities can be more complex. The Fire Safety Order requires responsible persons within a shared building to cooperate and coordinate their fire-safety arrangements.
The assessment may need to consider not only the area occupied exclusively by your organisation but also shared escape routes, common areas, alarm arrangements and risks arising from neighbouring occupiers.
Relevant responsibilities may be divided between the employer, tenant, landlord, freeholder, managing agent and facilities-management company. The lease and management arrangements can help establish who controls different parts of the building, but all relevant responsible persons must cooperate.
Firebugged can assess office premises within shared and multi-tenancy buildings and help clarify the significant findings relating to the areas under your control.
How Often Should an Office Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?
There is no single statutory review interval that applies to every office. The responsible person must keep the assessment under review and revise it when there is reason to suspect that it is no longer valid or when a significant change occurs.
An office fire risk assessment should be reconsidered following events such as:
- Office refurbishment, extension or reconfiguration
- A significant change in occupancy or staffing levels
- The introduction of new equipment, substances or work processes
- A change of tenant, building owner or management arrangements
- Changes to escape routes, fire doors, alarms or other precautions
- A fire, near miss or significant fire-safety incident
- Relevant findings following an inspection or enforcement action
Even where no significant change has occurred, the responsible person should establish a proportionate review schedule based on the building, its use, its occupants and the risks present.
Office Fire Risk Assessments in Cardiff
Cardiff contains a wide variety of office environments, from smaller professional premises and converted buildings to managed workspaces and multi-storey commercial properties.
Firebugged supports businesses, landlords, facilities managers and organisations responsible for offices across Cardiff city centre, Cardiff Bay and surrounding districts. Visit our dedicated Cardiff fire risk assessment page for local coverage information and details of how to request a quotation.
Areas We Cover
Firebugged provides office fire risk assessments throughout South Wales, including:
- Cardiff
- Newport
- Swansea
- Bridgend
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Pontypridd
- The South Wales Valleys and surrounding areas
For the complete regional coverage list, visit our areas we cover page.
Need a fire risk assessment for your office? Tell Firebugged about the premises, its location, approximate size and occupancy to request a no-obligation quotation.
Firebugged provides fire risk assessments for offices and commercial premises across South Wales. Get in touch to discuss your requirements or request a quotation.