Getting a fire risk assessment carried out is an important step. But for many building owners and managers, it is also where the process stalls. The report arrives, it gets filed, and the expectation is that the job is done. It is not.
A fire risk assessment is the beginning of a process, not the end of one. Understanding what comes next, and acting on it within appropriate timescales, is where genuine fire safety compliance is won or lost. As fire safety specialists working across the North East, we see the consequences of inaction regularly. This guide sets out exactly what building owners should do once that report is in their hands.
What a Fire Risk Assessment Report Really Covers
This sounds obvious. In practice, it often does not happen.
Fire risk assessment reports vary in quality and format, but all of them should identify hazards, evaluate risk levels, and set out recommended actions. Those actions are not suggestions. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the responsible person is legally required to implement appropriate fire safety measures based on the findings of the assessment.
Pay particular attention to how actions are prioritised. Most reports will classify findings as immediate, high, medium, or low priority. Immediate and high-priority actions require urgent attention. They represent risks that are significant enough to pose a real danger to occupants if left unaddressed.
Do not wait for a convenient time to act on high-priority findings. In the event of a fire, a regulator, insurer, or court will want to know what you did with the information you were given – and when.
Understand Who Is Responsible for Each Action
A fire risk assessment report identifies what needs to be done. It does not always clarify who is responsible for doing it. In buildings with multiple occupiers, shared areas, or complex management structures, this can become a source of delay and confusion.
The responsible person under the RRO is typically the building owner, employer, or managing agent. However, specific remediation tasks may fall to contractors, facilities managers, or individual tenants depending on the nature of the work and the terms of any lease or service agreement.
Clarify responsibility for every action in the report before work begins. Assign clear ownership, set realistic deadlines, and document both. This is not bureaucracy for its own sake, it is the evidence trail that demonstrates due diligence if your fire safety measures are ever called into question.
Prioritise Remediation Work Correctly
Not every finding in a fire risk assessment carries the same weight. However, it is worth being cautious about deprioritising anything classified as medium risk or above, particularly if multiple medium-risk findings exist in the same area of the building.
Common remediation actions following a fire risk assessment include fire door repairs or replacements, fire stopping works to seal unsealed penetrations, upgrades to emergency lighting or signage, and improvements to fire detection and alarm systems.
Some of these can be addressed quickly and at relatively low cost. Others, particularly passive fire protection works such as fire stopping and compartmentation surveys, require specialist contractors and more careful planning. Either way, the clock is running from the moment the report is issued.
If your assessment identified passive fire protection deficiencies, our fire stopping and fire safety services can help you address them properly, with the right materials and the right level of documentation.
Keep a Clear Record of Every Action Taken
Once remediation work begins, record everything. Photographs before and after works are completed. Invoices and contractor details. Dates on which each action was closed out. Any correspondence relating to the findings.
This record-keeping serves two purposes. First, it gives you a clear picture of your building’s ongoing fire safety status. Second, it provides evidence of compliance if your building is ever inspected by the Fire and Rescue Service or if an incident occurs.
Under the Building Safety Act 2022, this obligation to maintain and produce records has become more formal, particularly for higher-risk residential buildings. Even for buildings outside that category, good record-keeping is simply sound practice.
Already Have a Report? We Can Help You Act On It
Not every building owner needs a new fire risk assessment. Many already have one, what they need is support making sense of the findings and getting outstanding actions resolved.
If you have a report with actions that have not yet been addressed, our team can step in at that point. Whether the outstanding items relate to passive fire protection, fire door remediation, or broader fire safety measures, we can provide the specialist support needed to close them out properly and give you confidence that your building meets the required standard.
We also offer independent fire safety advice through our compliance team. If you are unsure whether your current report is still accurate, whether your building has changed since the assessment was carried out, or whether the findings were correctly identified in the first place, an independent review can give you a clear and honest picture – without any obligation to start from scratch.
Get Independent Fire Safety Support From Isoler’s Compliance Team
Managing fire safety compliance is an ongoing responsibility, and it is one that benefits from having the right people in your corner. Our compliance team works with building owners and managers across the North East to review existing assessments, identify gaps, and provide practical guidance on next steps.
If you have outstanding remediation actions, a report that has not been reviewed in some time, or simply want a second opinion on where your building stands, find out more from our compliance surveys and consultancy service or get in touch with the Isoler team directly. We will give you straightforward, independent advice, and the practical support to back it up.
