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Fire Safety Checklist

Extinguish the risks of your workplace going up in flames with this fire safety checklist. This is not a fire risk assessment, but you can use the checklist below to help identify and control fire hazards in your workplace. Use our risk assessment software to create unlimited fire risk assessments online – enjoy a free 15-day trial.

With this fire safety checklist you can apply it to any workplace in the UK – whether you run an office, shop, restaurant, or construction site. Many of the same checks must be made to minimise the risk of fire, remove escape hazards, and ensure proper signage and training are in place.

Eliminating fire risks is one of the most important health and safety considerations for any workplace. Flames can quickly spread, cause serious burns and fatalities, as well as destroying buildings. Follow our fire safety audit checklist put together by health and safety experts to build an effective risk assessment report for your business.

Fire inspection checklist

As an employer you have a legal obligation to remove and reduce the risk of fire in your workplace. This includes ensuring fire safety equipment is well-maintained and works, providing appropriate training, preparing an emergency plan, and reviewing risks regularly. Our fire inspection checklist helps assess hazards and risks.

Complying with the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 is vital for every UK business to operate safely and legally. Our fire inspection checklist for UK workplaces includes many of the aspects you should look for when reviewing fire risks. However, you must still conduct appropriate risk assessments and record your findings.

Use our fire safety inspection checklist in the UK to help with any risk assessments and to protect your employees, customers, the general public, and your business. We’ve split the following fire safety audit checklist into sections that group together hazards to make it simple to follow and avoid missing any risks.

Fire escape hazards

Are there factors that can affect safety in the event of a fire, such as:

• Do fire exits or routes need clearing of obstructions?
• Are any fire exits locked or chained up (excluding panic bolts)?
• Do any fire exits need illuminated or phosphorescent signs to be fitted to clearly identify them?
• Do any escapes routes need better illumination (including emergency lighting)?
• Does any escape route exceed the maximum permitted distance (between 12 and 45 metres, depending on fire hazard rating)?
• Have fire escape doors been checked to ensure they’re of sufficient width to allow safe exit for those inside the building?

Warning signs and device hazards

Are there any deficiencies in warning signs or devices that could endanger safety in the event of a fire, such as:

• Do any fire escape routes need clearer identification (e.g. additional signs)?
• Are any warning signs missing or obscured at escape routes and muster points (fire exit, fire alarm, and muster point signs)?
• Do extra warning/prohibition signs need to be fitted (flammable materials, no smoking, and no naked flames)?
• Do escape route signs need re-positioning to direct people to the shortest route to a fire exit?
• Do additional fire alarm call points or sounders need to be installed to improve safety?
• Do fire alarm call points and sounders need testing more frequently?
• Does emergency lighting require more frequent testing?

Staff fire safety training

Do staff need training in what to do in the event of a fire, such as:

• Does induction training need reviewing/improving?
• Do staff need extra information and training on what to do in the event of a fire?
• Is refresher training required?
• Do additional fire drills/evacuation procedures need to be performed?
• Do additional fire marshals need to be trained?
• Do staff need training on the use of fire extinguishers?
• Do fire training records need reviewing?

Flammable material hazards

Do any stored flammable materials need measures to improve safety:

• Are flammable substances or materials used or stored on site?
• Can the quantities of stored flammable substances be reduced?
• Do flammable substances need to be stored in flameproof containers or cabinets? (tick no if they’re already stored safely)
• Are any flammable materials stored over or near sources of heat or direct sunlight?
• Do rubbish bins need to be emptied of flammable material more frequently?
• Does any area that contains flammable materials need more frequent inspection or cleaning?
• Do procedures for containing spills of, and disposing of the waste products from, flammable substances need improving?

Fire protection and fire fighting

Are any fire protection devices being bypassed or overridden, such as:

• Are any fire resistant doors wedged or tied open?
• Do any fire doors require self-closing mechanisms to be fitted?
• Do any fire doors need labelling?
• Do fire extinguishers need checking to confirm that they are suitable for the area they are installed in?
• Do additional extinguishers need to be fitted?
• Are any fire extinguishers being used as doorstops?
• Are any fire extinguishers in need of servicing? (label should state when next service is due)

Fire safety control measures

Control measures for removing or reducing fire hazards include:

1. Elimination – by removing a fire hazard completely
2. Substitution – with a less flammable substance, process, or method of work
3. Modification – of the work process
4. Providing formal written procedures in the form of a safe system of work or a method statement
5. Supplying adequate fire safety training and information to all those exposed to the hazard
6. General tidiness and good housekeeping
7. Supplying protective equipment or clothing

Any identified hazard should be evaluated using a risk assessment.

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