If you own, manage or operate premises in Glasgow, you may be legally required to complete a fire risk assessment. This applies to most workplaces, commercial properties, premises used by the public and certain types of residential accommodation. The assessment should identify how a fire could start, who could be affected and whether the existing fire safety measures are suitable.
A fire risk assessment should not simply be treated as another certificate to keep on file. It is a practical review of the premises that should help you understand what already works well and what needs attention.
Which Glasgow premises need a fire risk assessment?
Fire safety duties for most non-domestic premises are set out within the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. These duties normally apply to workplaces, commercial premises, buildings used by the public and houses in multiple occupation that require a licence.
In Glasgow, this can include offices, shops, restaurants, cafés, nurseries, salons, workshops, warehouses and licensed HMOs. It can also apply to properties providing sleeping accommodation, including many short-term lets and bed and breakfast premises.
The person with responsibility is generally known as the dutyholder. This could be the employer, business owner, landlord, tenant, managing agent or another person who has control over the premises.
Responsibility can sometimes be shared. For example, a landlord may maintain a communal fire alarm and emergency lighting system while the tenant is responsible for staff training, housekeeping and the safe operation of their own unit.
Do Glasgow landlords need a fire risk assessment?
An ordinary house or flat occupied as someone’s private home is generally treated differently from a shop, office or workplace. Domestic premises are normally excluded from the relevant premises covered by Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, although there are exceptions.
This means a landlord renting a standard flat to one household does not usually need the same type of fire risk assessment as a commercial business. However, landlords still have separate duties covering smoke and heat alarms, electrical safety and the general condition of the property.
The position is different for licensed HMOs, certain forms of specialised accommodation and properties used for commercial sleeping accommodation. The use of the property matters more than simply whether it looks like an ordinary house or flat.
Where a building has a mixture of residential and commercial areas, responsibility may also be divided. Each area should be considered carefully rather than assuming one assessment covers the entire building.
Fire risk assessments for Glasgow short-term lets
Short-term lets are not treated in the same way as ordinary residential tenancies. Guests may be unfamiliar with the property, may not understand the escape route and could be asleep when a fire starts.
Scottish Government guidance for small self-catering and bed and breakfast premises states that a person with control of the premises must assess the fire risk and take reasonable measures to protect occupants. The assessment must be specific to the individual property rather than copied from a generic template.
For a Glasgow short-term let, the assessment should consider the property layout, maximum guest numbers, cooking facilities, heating appliances and electrical equipment. It should also review fire detection, escape routes, doors protecting the route and any emergency lighting that may be needed.
The assessment should reflect how the accommodation is actually used. A tenement flat, an open-plan apartment and a detached house can require different precautions, even where the maximum number of guests is similar.
Glasgow’s short-term let licensing conditions also include requirements covering fire detection, carbon monoxide detection, furnishings, electrical safety and the safety information provided to guests.
What should a fire risk assessment cover?
A suitable fire risk assessment looks at the premises as a whole. It should begin by identifying the people who may be at risk, including employees, customers, contractors, children, residents and overnight guests.
The assessment should then consider how a fire could start. Common hazards include cooking, portable heaters, damaged electrical equipment, overloaded sockets, smoking materials and combustible items stored close to heat sources.
Escape routes, final exits and fire doors should be checked to ensure people can leave safely. Fire alarms, emergency lighting, signs, firefighting equipment and evacuation arrangements should also be reviewed.
When I carry out an assessment, I also look at how fire safety is managed. This includes testing and maintenance records, staff training, evacuation procedures and whether previous recommendations have been completed.
The outcome should be a clear action plan. Any recommendations should be proportionate to the building, the people using it and the level of risk identified.
Can you complete the assessment yourself?
There is no requirement to appoint an outside assessor for every small premises. A dutyholder may complete the assessment where they have enough knowledge, skill and experience to do so properly.
However, the person completing it must be able to recognise significant hazards and judge whether the precautions are suitable. A downloaded checklist may help organise the process, but it does not automatically produce a suitable assessment.
Professional assistance may be appropriate where people sleep in the premises, children or vulnerable people are present, the escape arrangements are complicated or several businesses share the building. It may also help where the responsibilities of the landlord and tenant are unclear.
Scottish Government guidance advises that dutyholders who do not have the necessary skills, knowledge or experience can appoint a suitably qualified person or company. Responsibility for acting on the findings still remains with the dutyholder.
When should your assessment be reviewed?
A fire risk assessment should be kept under review rather than completed once and forgotten. It should be revisited when there is a significant change to the layout, occupancy, work activities, equipment or storage arrangements.
A review may also be needed after building work, a fire, a serious near miss or the discovery of a fault with an important fire safety measure. Scottish Government guidance confirms that assessments should be reviewed regularly and that the findings must be acted upon. Every Risk Assessment should state when next review should take place
I provide clear and practical fire risk assessments for businesses, landlords and short-term let hosts throughout Glasgow. Each assessment explains what already works well, what needs attention and the proportionate steps required to improve safety.
To arrange a fire risk assessment, fire safety training or a consultation for your Glasgow premises, get in touch with AMC Fire Safety.