Commercial fire risk assessments in Liverpool: a sector-by-sector guide

Liverpool’s business community is incredibly varied. In a single afternoon you can walk past independent restaurants on Bold Street, bars in the Baltic Triangle, offices in the commercial district, shops in the city centre and warehouses out towards Speke and the docks. Each of those buildings has one legal duty in common: someone has to have assessed the risk of fire, and done something about it.

I’ve spent 27 years in the Fire Service. Over that time I’ve learned that the businesses that cope best with a fire are rarely the ones with the most expensive equipment. They’re the ones where somebody has sat down, looked honestly at the risks, and made sure everyone knows what to do. That’s what a good commercial fire risk assessment gives you, and it’s the standard I expect from every assessor who works with us.

Who needs a commercial fire risk assessment?

If you run, own or manage non-domestic premises in Liverpool, the answer is almost certainly you. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the person in control of the premises, known as the “Responsible Person”, must make sure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is carried out and kept up to date.

In most workplaces that’s the employer. In a shared building, it may also be the owner, landlord or managing agent for the common areas. Where there’s more than one Responsible Person, the law expects you to co-ordinate with each other so the building’s fire safety works as a whole.

Since October 2023, every assessment must be recorded in full in writing, including the name of the person who carried it out. It no longer matters whether you employ one person or fifty.

A sector-by-sector look at the risks

The principles of a fire risk assessment are the same everywhere, but the risks vary a lot from one type of business to the next. Here’s what our assessors typically focus on in Liverpool.

Hospitality: restaurants, bars, hotels and clubs

Liverpool welcomes huge numbers of visitors, and much of that trade happens in bars, restaurants and hotels. Commercial kitchens are one of the most common places for a fire to start, especially where grease builds up in extraction ducts. Late-night venues bring large crowds who may have been drinking and won’t know where the exits are. Hotels and guest houses add sleeping guests to the picture, which raises the stakes considerably.

Retail: shops and showrooms

Shops tend to fill up with stock and packaging, particularly before Christmas and during busy events in the city. The problems we see are often in the parts customers never visit: back rooms crammed with cardboard, rear fire exits blocked by deliveries, and doors locked to stop theft.

Offices

Offices are generally lower risk, but they bring their own challenges. Many Liverpool offices are in older buildings that have been refitted several times, and each fit-out can leave hidden gaps in fire-resisting walls and ceilings. Shared buildings need clear arrangements between tenants, and evacuation plans need to reflect who is actually in the building now that hybrid working is common.

Warehouses, workshops and industrial units

Large storage buildings can hold a lot of fuel for a fire, from pallets and packaging to flammable liquids. Our assessors look closely at storage heights, housekeeping, forklift and battery charging areas, hot work, and the distance people have to travel to reach a safe exit.

Mixed-use buildings

Across Liverpool, from Allerton Road to Lark Lane, you’ll find shops, cafés and takeaways with flats above. Here, the fire separation between the business and the homes upstairs is critical. A fire that starts in a ground-floor kitchen at night must not be allowed to spread to people who are asleep above it.

A five-minute check you can do today

A professional assessment goes much deeper than this, but these quick questions will tell you a lot about where your business stands:

1. Can you put your hand on your written fire risk assessment right now?
2. Does it describe your building as it is today, not as it was when you moved in?
3. Walk to every fire exit. Is each route clear, and does each final door open easily from the inside without a key?
4. Are any fire doors wedged or propped open?
5. When was the fire alarm last tested, and is there a written record?
6. When did you last hold a fire drill, and did every member of staff take part?
7. Does every employee know where the assembly point is?

If you answered “no” or “not sure” to any of these, it’s time to get your assessment looked at.

Why it’s so important

A fire risk assessment is a legal duty, but the law is only there because the consequences of getting fire safety wrong are so severe. A good assessment does four things for your business:

• It keeps people safe. Staff, customers, visitors and contractors all rely on you to have thought this through.
• It keeps you trading. A fire can close a business for months. Many small businesses never reopen after a serious fire.
• It gives you evidence. Insurers, landlords and the fire service will all expect to see an up-to-date written assessment.
• It focuses your budget. A practical report tells you what genuinely needs doing, and what doesn’t, so you don’t waste money.

Enforcement in Liverpool and Merseyside

Fire safety law in Liverpool businesses is enforced by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Its fire safety officers carry out inspections, respond to complaints and investigate after fires. Where they find problems, they can issue an enforcement notice requiring improvements, or a prohibition notice restricting or stopping the use of the premises. Serious breaches can be prosecuted, with unlimited fines and up to two years in prison.

How to choose a fire risk assessor

The law says anyone you appoint to help with your fire risk assessment must be competent. When you’re comparing assessors, ask:

• What experience do they have with your type of building?
• Are they on a recognised register, or accredited by a professional body?
• Do they carry professional indemnity insurance?
• Can they show you an example report? Is it clear, specific and ranked by priority, or full of generic text?

Be wary of very cheap assessments carried out over the phone or without a proper visit. A fire risk assessment is only as good as the time spent walking the building.

This guide is a plain-English summary of fire safety law for businesses in England and is not legal advice.