Fire risk assessment review
Go back through your existing fire risk assessment, check nothing has changed that invalidates it — new layout, new equipment, a new fryer, a near miss — and date and sign it as reviewed, even when the answer is "no change".
Go back through your existing fire risk assessment, check nothing has changed that invalidates it — new layout, new equipment, a new fryer, a near miss — and date and sign it as reviewed, even when the answer is "no change". If something material has changed, update the document, and bring a professional back in if the change is significant.
An FRA that has not been reviewed reads to a fire and rescue service as evidence you are not actively managing fire safety, and it is usually the first document requested at an inspection. A stale, unreviewed FRA is one of the most common triggers for enforcement action.
Use the same document as your original assessment — date and sign the review, don't just re-read it.
Worth it after a significant layout or equipment change, or a near miss.
Who this is for
The "responsible person" at every venue — the duty applies to essentially all commercial premises.
What you’ll hold
- Dated, signed FRA review note (even when nothing has changed)
- Updated FRA if changes were made
Watch out for
- Treating the review as a mental note. Inspectors want a dated, signed entry, not a memory of having thought about it.
- Only revisiting the FRA after an incident, instead of catching changes proactively — a new deep fryer or a knocked-through wall changes the risk profile immediately.
- Reusing a five-year-old assessment word for word when the kitchen and layout have visibly moved on.
Sources
- GOV.UK — Fire safety law and guidance for business checked 2026-09-02
See also
- Get a recorded fire risk assessment— this becomes part of getting open →
- Fire evacuation drill
- Fire alarm service
- Formal fire door inspection
This is item 22 of 60 in the free UK Compliance Calendar. See the whole list →