Small business guide

Fire Risk Assessment Guide for Small Businesses

Use this framework to understand the fire risk assessment process and the records small businesses should keep.

7 min read

This guide is general information for UK premises teams and is not legal advice. Check the official guidance for your premises and use a competent fire safety professional where needed.

Use the five-step structure

GOV.UK summarises the fire risk assessment process as identifying hazards, identifying people at risk, evaluating and reducing risks, recording findings and planning, then reviewing regularly.

Small businesses can use that structure to turn a broad legal duty into a practical record keeping workflow.

Record the findings and actions

A useful record should show what hazards were found, who may be affected, what controls are in place, what actions remain open, who owns them, and when the assessment should be reviewed.

If a competent assessor is appointed, keep their name, organisation, report, recommendations, and any remedial evidence linked to the site.

Connect the assessment to the logbook

The fire risk assessment should inform the routine checks in the fire logbook. For example, the assessment may identify emergency lighting checks, extinguisher maintenance, fire door checks, or staff training needs.

Fire Logbook Pro helps teams connect these recurring activities to evidence rather than treating the assessment as a static PDF.

Sources reviewed

These sources were reviewed when preparing this guide.

Related guides

Read next fire log book obligations for the responsible person Read next what to record in a fire log book Read next fire safety audit checklist

Next step

Turn guidance into a repeatable record keeping workflow with Fire Logbook Pro.