Do you, your family or employees sleep at the premises? 

What happens if you don’t do a fire risk assessment? 

Fire Safety Law applies to you and you must take action!

You are breaking the law if you could be putting people's lives at risk. We may inspect your premises as part of our responsibility to enforce the law, or a customer or someone working for you may report you to us if they feel at risk. If we think you need to improve your fire safety, we can give you FREE advice on what measures may be appropriate for you to take and agree a time period for you to make the improvements.

We can also take formal legal enforcement action if you fail to do this, or if we find a serious fire risk that you are not managing we can prohibit the use of part or all of your premises and your business may be closed down as a result. If you live on the premises you may have to find somewhere else to stay.

Since the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 we have prohibited the use of a number of takeaways and restaurant premises. You may also face a hefty fine and/or imprisonment for breaches of fire safety law.

We are here to help you

Contact your local safety office:

Flintshire and Wrexham or 01978 367870

Conwy and Denbighshire or 01745 355450

Anglesey and Gwynedd or 01286 662999

There have been a number of recent fires in North Wales in businesses where upper floors are being used for sleeping accommodation.

These fires often result in significant financial loss, with a high risk of injury and even death.

It is particularly important to consider and put in place the right fire safety arrangements to protect not only the lives of you and your family, employees and customers, but also your property and your business.

In many cases it has come to light that people are sleeping in rooms and or flats above the business, often accessed by a single unprotected staircase from the main public or kitchen area of the building, like this example below:

Often these exit routes are blocked with combustible materials. Experience has shown that people living on upper floors find it difficult to evacuate quickly and safely in an emergency unless a safe exit route is available.

Reducing the Dangers

Fit an alarm to provide early warning of fire throughout the building.

Protect/separate staircase with fire resisting construction to ensure your exit route is safe.

Keep escape routes clear from combustible material and other obstructions.

Never wedge open fire doors or remove door closing devices (a fire door can only protect you if it is kept closed.)

Make sure your family and employees know how to:

Exit the building in the event of fire.

Call the Fire and Rescue Service.

What must I do?

You must

• Carry out a fire risk assessment
• If necessary, improve your fire safety measures
• Keep the risks, and your fire safety measures under review

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 – make you responsible for taking steps to protect the people using your premises from the risk of fire.

5 key steps to follow

1 Identify fire hazards

2 Identify people at risk

3 Evaluate, remove or reduce and protect from risk

4 Record, plan, inform, instruct and train

5 Review your fire risk assessment.

Summary of possible Hazards

• Access to the flat(s) through the shop.
• Storage in escape routes/ escape routes blocked with bins and other waste materials.
• No fire alarm
• Locked doors
• Holes in walls, floors and ceilings that can allow smoke and fire spread
• Poor or non-existent cleaning and maintenance of commercial kitchen extraction ducting
• No firefighting equipment
• Non-existent or inadequate inspections and maintenance of electrical installations

If you identify any of these issues in your premises and you require further information then contact the offices below for guidance:

Contact your local safety office:

Flintshire and Wrexham or 01978 367 870

Conwy and Denbighshire or 01745 355 450

Anglesey and Gwynedd or 01286 662 999