Office Fire Risk Assessments for Employers and Office Managers

An office may appear to be a relatively low-risk workplace, but that does not remove the need for a suitable fire risk assessment. Electrical equipment, staff kitchens, charging devices, storage, fire doors, escape routes and changing occupancy can all affect the level of risk within an office.

The assessment should reflect how the workplace is actually used. A converted building occupied by several businesses raises different questions from a modern office used by one employer. A tenant occupying one floor of a larger building may control its own workspace while relying on a landlord or managing agent for communal stairs, alarm systems and shared escape routes.

ClearFire carries out office fire risk assessments for employers, office managers, landlords and managing agents that need a clear understanding of the premises and a report that can be acted on afterwards. The focus is on how the office operates today rather than how it was arranged when the lease began or the previous assessment was written.

Who is responsible for fire safety in an office

In a workplace, the employer will normally have fire safety responsibilities for the areas under their control. The position can become more complicated when the office is rented or forms part of a larger multi-occupied building.

A company occupying one floor may be responsible for its internal workspace and procedures, while the landlord or managing agent controls the main entrance, staircase, communal corridors or central alarm arrangements. Both sides need to understand how those responsibilities fit together.

Office managers are often closely involved even where they are not the person with overall legal responsibility. They may hold maintenance records, arrange contractors, manage access and communicate procedures to staff. Their knowledge of how the workplace operates can therefore be important during the assessment.

What should be considered in an office

The starting point is the workplace itself. The assessor needs to understand the layout, occupancy, working hours, escape routes and activities taking place. The risks in a small professional office will not be identical to those in a large multi-floor workplace or shared business centre.

Modern offices contain a high concentration of electrical equipment. Computers, monitors, printers, chargers, kitchen appliances and communications equipment may remain powered for long periods. Server rooms and equipment cupboards can also contain equipment that operates continuously.

Paper records, packaging, furniture and stored supplies add combustible material. Their presence is normal, but poor storage can create avoidable problems. The assessment should also consider visitors, contractors and anyone who may need assistance during an evacuation rather than assuming every person in the building knows the layout well.

Common office changes that can affect fire risk

Hybrid working can change emergency arrangements

Hybrid working has changed the way many offices operate. Some buildings are busy on particular days and quiet on others, while staff who once attended every day may now be present only part of the week.

This can affect arrangements that depend on named individuals. A fire warden may be working remotely when an alarm occurs. New staff may spend less time in the office and know the building less well. Meeting rooms can still contain visitors even when general occupancy is low.

The arrangements should therefore reflect the current working pattern. Flexible working does not create a problem by itself, but relying on people who are not consistently present can make an old emergency plan less reliable.

Escape routes need to work during normal office use

An escape route may be clear when the office is quiet but become less straightforward during a busy working day. Deliveries, temporary furniture, storage boxes and additional desks can gradually narrow routes or make exits less obvious.

The assessment should consider how people move from the areas they actually occupy to a place of safety. Meeting rooms, kitchens, toilets, stores and separate office spaces should all be included rather than concentrating only on the main open-plan area.

Visitors and contractors may not know the premises, and staff may instinctively head towards the entrance they normally use rather than the nearest suitable exit. Anyone who may need assistance should also be considered through arrangements that reflect their actual needs.

Fire doors should work as intended

Fire doors can become inconvenient in everyday office use, which is why they are sometimes wedged open or altered. If a door is intended to protect an escape route or limit the spread of smoke and fire, it needs to be capable of performing that role.

Damage, ineffective closing devices or repeated wedging should not be treated only as minor maintenance issues. Repeated behaviour can also reveal a practical problem in the workplace. If one door is constantly being held open, it is worth understanding why and addressing the cause without compromising fire protection.

The assessment should identify visible concerns and make clear where repair, further inspection or a change in management practice is needed.

Staff kitchens and electrical equipment deserve attention

A staff kitchen is not a commercial kitchen, but it still contains potential ignition sources. Kettles, microwaves, toasters and coffee machines may be used throughout the day, while staff sometimes bring in additional appliances of their own.

Housekeeping matters as much as the equipment. Packaging, paper towels and stored supplies should not build up around appliances. Damaged plugs, cables or devices should not remain in use because the item is considered temporary or inexpensive.

Elsewhere in the office, extension leads can become permanent solutions and charging equipment may be left in use for long periods. A fire risk assessment is not an electrical inspection, but obvious signs of poor practice should be recognised and managed.

Alarm systems and emergency lighting need management

Having an alarm system or emergency lighting does not by itself show that the arrangements are being managed properly. Where these systems are required, appropriate testing, maintenance and records matter.

The assessor should consider whether the warning can be recognised throughout the relevant areas of the office and whether the arrangements still suit the current layout. Enclosed meeting rooms, toilets and separate working spaces may need particular consideration.

In a shared building, the landlord or managing agent may arrange the testing. The office occupier should still understand how faults are reported and how they will be informed of changes that affect their workplace.

Visitors and contractors need to be considered

Employees may know the office well, while visitors may have no idea where an alternative exit is located. Someone attending a meeting could be away from reception when an alarm sounds and should not have to work out the evacuation arrangements for themselves.

Contractors create a different issue. Maintenance and refurbishment can introduce temporary risks, affect escape routes or involve work on systems that form part of the building’s fire precautions. Contractor activity should therefore be managed as part of the workplace rather than treated as completely separate from it.

The procedure does not need to be complicated. It needs to make sense for the people who are actually in the office on a normal working day.

Staff arrangements need to work when key people are absent

Employees should recognise the alarm, understand the basic evacuation procedure and know where they are expected to go after leaving the building. Those arrangements should not depend entirely on one office manager or fire warden being present.

New starters need suitable information, and changes should be communicated when they happen. If the workplace moves floors, changes its assembly point or alters its exits, staff should not be expected to discover that during an emergency.

The aim is clear, proportionate information rather than overloading staff with technical detail that has little relevance to their role.

Shared office buildings need communication

A tenant in a larger building may depend on arrangements controlled by the landlord or managing agent. The occupier may use a communal staircase, shared alarm system, common entrance and external escape route even though its own workplace sits behind a separate front door.

Where several businesses share the building, one tenant’s refurbishment or working practices should not compromise another occupier’s escape arrangements. Changes to shared systems also need to be communicated to the people relying on them.

The assessment should recognise those connections and help make clear where the employer’s responsibility ends and the building manager’s responsibility begins.

When the office assessment should be reviewed

The report should remain connected to the workplace. A routine review provides an opportunity to check whether previous actions have been completed and whether the original findings still reflect the premises.

An earlier review may be sensible after refurbishment, substantial changes in occupancy, alterations to escape routes, changes to alarm arrangements or a significant change in the way the office is used. Moving a few desks does not automatically require a fresh assessment, but creating new rooms or changing how people enter and leave can have a greater effect.

The building and its use should guide the decision rather than relying only on the date of the existing report.

What employers and office managers should expect from the report

The report should be useful after the assessor leaves. An employer should be able to see what needs attention, while an office manager should be able to use the findings to arrange maintenance and update records. Where an issue belongs to the landlord or managing agent, that should be clear enough to raise with the relevant party.

The people reading the report are unlikely to be fire safety specialists. They may be running a business or dealing with facilities alongside many other responsibilities. Clear wording therefore matters because it helps them act without repeatedly asking the assessor to explain basic recommendations.

A useful report should reduce uncertainty rather than simply add another document to the company’s compliance files.

Office fire risk assessments with ClearFire

Jon and Kevin carry out ClearFire’s assessment work themselves. For a standalone office, the visit may concentrate on workplace arrangements, staff procedures, escape routes and the way the premises are managed. For an office within a shared building, the relationship between the occupier’s responsibilities and those of the landlord or managing agent can also be considered.

ClearFire works across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Clients deal directly with the person who inspected the premises, so questions about a finding can be answered by someone who has actually seen the workplace.

Arrange an office fire risk assessment

If your office has not been assessed recently, the workplace has changed or you are unsure whether the existing arrangements still match the way the premises are used, ClearFire can carry out an office fire risk assessment and provide a clear written report.

Contact ClearFire to discuss the office and request a quote.