3 ways to automate a fire risk assessment

#1 - Simple assessment

Who it's for: Single-site businesses recording the fire risk assessment themselves, where you know the building and just need a clear, structured record.

What it is: A fire risk assessment records each fire risk, the people it could harm, the controls in place, and any further action. This version is structured around the 14 areas fire safety professionals and enforcement officers expect to see addressed: eight covering sources of ignition and fuel (electrical installations, smoking, arson, heating, cooking, housekeeping, dangerous substances, other hazards) and six covering fire protection measures (means of escape, giving warning, extinguishers, emergency lighting, signs and notices, management). Each area is a small group of three prompts written for that area. Electrical installations asks you to identify the electrical hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, and evaluate the electrical risks and decide on precautions; Means of escape asks about the escape route hazards and who would struggle to evacuate; and so on through all 14, so every question tells you exactly what it's about. A fire risk assessment is a legal duty under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for almost all non-domestic premises.

In practice: A single-site cafe owner works down the 14 areas. Under Cooking: the hazards (deep-fat fryer, open flames), who's at risk (kitchen staff, customers), and the precautions (fixed suppression, training, no overfilling, service the suppression system next month). Under Means of escape: both exits confirmed clear and openable without a key. Three short answers per area, and the whole building gets covered.

Why it works: The 14 areas are the structure a fire officer or insurer expects to read, so nothing gets missed: the assessment covers ignition sources AND the protection measures, not just the hazards someone happened to think of. And splitting each area into three prompts means nobody has to remember what a good answer contains; the structure asks for hazards, people, and precautions separately, which is what makes the record defensible.

Steps included:

• 14 assessment areas: sources of ignition and fuel (1-8) and fire protection measures (9-14)
• Each area is a group of 3 prompts written for it: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

#2 - With guidance

Who it's for: Businesses where a manager, not a fire specialist, completes the assessment and needs the method in front of them.

What it is: The same 14 areas and three prompts, but each area's group now carries its own written guidance: why that area matters and what to check before you answer. The electrical group carries the prompts about EICR dates, PAT testing, and damaged cables; the arson group carries waste storage, lighting, and entry points; the means of escape group carries route capacity, fire doors, and final exits.

What it adds to the simple assessment:

1. Guidance for every area, on screen exactly where you answer it
2. What to check before answering, not just a blank box
3. An assessment that's consistent whoever completes it

Why it works: Generic guidance at the top of a form gets skimmed once and forgotten by area 9. Guidance attached to each area gets read at the moment it's needed, so a manager who isn't a fire specialist still asks the right questions about extraction ductwork, emergency lighting tests, and evacuation plans.

Steps included:

• The 14 assessment areas, each a group of 3 prompts
• 14 guidance notes, one per area: why it matters and what to check

#3 - With photo evidence

Who it's for: Businesses that want visual proof of each area's condition alongside the written record.

What it is: The same 14 areas and three prompts, but each area's group now carries a photo step. As you assess each area you photograph it: the fuse board, the smoking area, the bin store, the escape route, the extinguisher points. The record shows the condition of each area at the time, not just a description of it.

In practice: A restaurant manager works through the assessment with their phone. At Housekeeping they photograph the dry store and the cleared corridor; at Means of escape, the unobstructed rear exit; at Manual fire extinguishers, the serviced extinguisher with its tag visible. Every answer now has a picture next to it.

What it adds to the simple assessment:

1. A photo per area, captured as you assess it
2. Proof of conditions that holds up to an inspector, not just a written claim
3. A visual baseline to compare against at the next review

Why it works: A written assessment says the escape route was clear; a photo shows it. When the assessment is reviewed next year, the photos also show what changed. And because the photo step sits with its area, the evidence files itself against the right risk instead of landing in a camera roll.

Steps included:

• The 14 assessment areas, each a group of 3 prompts
• 14 photo steps, one per area: the hazard or the control in place, captured at the time

How to pick the right version

You don't need to know our product to choose. Every version here is the same 14-area assessment; the additions change who can run it and what the record proves.

Do other people run the assessment?

If you run it yourself and know the method, the plain steps are enough: #1. The moment a manager who isn't a fire specialist does it, the guidance needs to be on screen next to each area: #2.

Do you need photo proof?

A written assessment meets the duty; photos show the actual condition of each area. If a written record is enough, #1 or #2. If you want the fuse board, the bin store, and the escape routes on camera next to their answers, #3.

Need both? Open the version that matters most in the playground and add the other's steps. That is how the product works anyway: every option here is the same assessment with steps added.

Related workflows

• Kitchen risk assessment - the kitchen's own hazards, including fire sources
• Fire alarm testing - the weekly check that one of your fire controls works
• Fire extinguisher check - keeping the extinguishers ready

Conclusion

Fire risk assessment is a legal document that has to be current, competent, and acted on, and the records are the first thing an enforcing authority asks for. Every version above is the same 14 areas an enforcement officer expects to see addressed, each a group of three prompts; the additions put guidance or a photo inside every area's group. Pick the one your business needs and build on it in the playground.

→ Build your own fire risk assessment on Pilla.