A small café with one kitchen, a busy Glasgow office, a workshop on an industrial estate and a landlord managing a block of flats have different fire hazards. They share one responsibility: the people controlling the premises must understand the risk and take sensible action before an emergency happens. That is why the question of who needs fire risk assessment is not just a paperwork question. It is about identifying who could be harmed, what could start a fire and whether the building can be evacuated safely.

For most workplaces and non-domestic premises in Scotland, a fire risk assessment is a legal requirement. The responsibility usually sits with the person who has control over the premises or the relevant part of them. In practice, that may be an employer, business owner, landlord, managing agent, facilities manager or site supervisor.

Who needs a fire risk assessment?

Under Scotland’s fire safety legislation, fire safety duties apply to non-domestic premises. This covers a wide range of settings, including offices, shops, restaurants, pubs, warehouses, factories, workshops, schools, healthcare premises, community buildings, hotels and many residential properties with shared or managed areas.

If you employ people, welcome customers, manage contractors or control a building that others use, you should assume fire safety duties apply until you have confirmed otherwise. A risk assessment is the foundation of those duties. It considers the premises as they are actually used, rather than relying on a generic checklist or an assessment written for another site.

The responsible person is not always the person whose name is on the lease. A tenant may control the shop floor while a landlord or factor controls the stairwell, electrical intake room and other common areas. Both parties can have responsibilities for the parts of the building they control. Clear communication matters, particularly in shared buildings where an issue in one unit can affect every occupier.

Employers and business owners

Every employer must protect staff from foreseeable fire risks at work. That includes part-time staff, cleaners, temporary workers, contractors and lone workers. Even a small office with a few employees needs an assessment if it is a workplace.

The assessment should examine likely ignition sources such as cooking equipment, overloaded electrical circuits, portable heaters, machinery, charging points and smoking materials. It should also consider combustible stock, waste storage, escape routes, alarm arrangements, emergency lighting, staff training and the type and location of fire extinguishers.

A low-risk office may need relatively simple controls. A commercial kitchen, garage, joinery workshop or warehouse with flammable materials needs closer attention and more specific precautions. The legal duty is based on risk, not on the size or reputation of the business.

Landlords, property managers and managing agents

Landlords need to distinguish between a private dwelling and the shared or non-domestic parts of a property. Fire safety law does not apply in exactly the same way to every rented home. However, rental accommodation still carries important fire safety responsibilities, and common areas in blocks of flats, houses in multiple occupation and mixed-use buildings can require a formal fire risk assessment.

The entrance hall, communal stair, bin store, plant room, laundry room and shared corridor are not minor details. They are escape routes and can become the route by which smoke and fire spread. Storage left in a stairwell, defective fire doors or poor emergency lighting can place residents at risk even where individual flats are otherwise well maintained.

Landlords must also meet relevant Scottish housing, licensing and alarm requirements. Houses in multiple occupation, short-term lets, supported accommodation and properties with commercial space below or beside residential units can have additional or more complex duties. It is sensible to obtain competent advice where the building’s use, occupancy or ownership is not straightforward.

Owners and operators of public-facing premises

Businesses that receive the public have to plan for people who do not know the building or its exits. A customer in a salon, shop, gym, place of worship or restaurant may not react quickly to an alarm, especially if exits are poorly marked or blocked.

The assessment must account for customer numbers, opening hours, alcohol service where relevant, queues, events, mobility needs and the availability of trained staff to assist evacuation. A fire strategy that works during a quiet weekday morning may fail on a busy Friday evening. Premises operators should assess the highest realistic occupancy and the conditions that make escape more difficult.

Facilities managers and tenants in shared commercial buildings

In multi-let offices, business centres and industrial estates, fire safety responsibilities are often split. The building owner may maintain common alarms, emergency lighting and escape corridors, while each tenant controls their own workspace, appliances, stock and staff procedures.

That division does not remove anyone’s duty. Tenants should know who maintains shared systems, how an evacuation will work and where faults are reported. Landlords and managing agents should ensure the common parts are assessed and maintained. Where responsibilities are unclear, essential checks can be missed and servicing records can become difficult to trace.

What a suitable fire risk assessment should cover

A fire risk assessment is more than a certificate. It is a practical review of how a fire could start, develop and affect the people in the premises. It should identify hazards, consider those at risk and set out measures to reduce danger.

For a typical business, this means checking the condition and use of electrical equipment, housekeeping standards, storage arrangements, means of escape, fire doors, warning systems, signs, emergency lighting and firefighting equipment. It should also look at management controls: who calls the fire and rescue service, who checks escape routes, how staff are trained and what happens when contractors are working on site.

Fire extinguishers deserve particular attention. An extinguisher that is missing, obstructed, wrongly selected or past its service date cannot be relied upon in the first moments of a fire. Suitable equipment must be correctly sited, clearly visible, maintained and appropriate for the hazards present. Water, foam, CO2 and wet chemical extinguishers each have different uses; providing the wrong type can create further danger.

A competent assessor should provide findings that can be acted on. That might include removing ignition sources, improving storage, fitting signage, servicing extinguishers, keeping fire doors closed, reviewing staff instruction or improving evacuation arrangements. The value is in making the premises safer, not merely producing a document for a file.

When does an assessment need reviewed?

There is no single timetable that makes every building compliant. A fire risk assessment must be kept under review and revised when there is reason to believe it is no longer valid. Significant changes should trigger an immediate review: a refurbishment, change of use, new machinery, altered layout, increased occupancy, a fire incident, new vulnerable occupants or problems identified during drills or inspections.

Regular review is also good management. Many businesses arrange an annual fire risk assessment review, particularly where premises are active, staff change regularly or the fire risk is higher. Lower-risk, stable premises may not require a full new assessment every year, but they still need ongoing checks and prompt action when conditions change.

Written records are particularly valuable. They show what was found, what corrective work was needed, who was responsible and whether it was completed. They also support conversations with insurers, landlords, enforcing authorities and employees. Good records demonstrate that fire safety is being managed rather than assumed.

The cost of getting it wrong

A fire can stop trading long after flames are extinguished. Smoke damage, lost stock, closed premises, cancelled bookings, damaged equipment and staff disruption can place serious pressure on a business. For landlords, a fire can displace residents, damage income and create difficult questions about whether reasonable precautions were in place.

There are legal consequences too. Failing to meet fire safety duties can lead to enforcement action, prosecution and substantial reputational damage. Insurers will also expect businesses to take reasonable steps to manage known risks and maintain safety equipment. A risk assessment does not guarantee cover, but failing to carry one out or ignoring its findings can make an already difficult claim more complicated.

Turning the assessment into everyday protection

The strongest fire safety arrangements are maintained between formal assessments. Keep escape routes clear, act on defects quickly, make sure staff know what to do when the alarm sounds and arrange servicing at the required intervals. If an extinguisher has been discharged, damaged or reached the end of its service life, it needs professional attention rather than being left in place for appearance’s sake.

For commercial premises and rental properties across Glasgow and the surrounding area, EXSERVICE can help make those responsibilities manageable through practical fire risk assessments and properly maintained extinguishers. The aim is not to overcomplicate compliance. It is to ensure the equipment, records and procedures will stand up when they are needed.

A fire risk assessment is most useful before a problem exposes a weakness. Start with the building you control, the people who rely on it and the changes that have happened since its last review. That is where safer premises and more confident decisions begin.