It’s a question that comes up regularly, particularly among business owners and facilities managers who are getting to grips with their legal obligations for the first time.
Both types of risk assessment sound similar, both involve identifying risks in the workplace, and both are legal requirements for most businesses. So are they the same thing — or do you need both?
The short answer is that they are distinct documents with different legal bases, different scopes, and different purposes. In most cases, you need both. Here’s why.
Different Laws, Different Requirements
A health and safety risk assessment is required under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. These regulations place a duty on all employers and self-employed people to assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees and anyone else who may be affected by their work activities. The assessment must cover all workplace hazards — from manual handling and working at height to exposure to hazardous substances, stress, and everything in between.
A fire risk assessment, by contrast, is required under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 — the RRO. It is specific to fire safety and applies to all non-domestic premises, regardless of whether anyone is employed there. The duty falls on the Responsible Person, which may be an employer, a building owner, a landlord, or a managing agent — not just employers.
These are two separate pieces of legislation, each with their own requirements, and compliance with one does not mean compliance with the other.
Different Scope, Different Focus
A health and safety risk assessment takes a broad view of workplace hazards. It might consider the risk of slips, trips, and falls, the manual handling of heavy loads, noise levels, exposure to chemicals, display screen equipment, lone working, or stress and mental health. Its purpose is to identify anything that could harm people in the course of their work and ensure appropriate controls are in place.
A fire risk assessment is entirely focused on fire. It looks at the likelihood of a fire starting, the means by which it could spread, the people who could be affected, and the measures in place to detect a fire, raise the alarm, facilitate a safe evacuation, and limit the damage caused. It considers ignition sources, fuel sources, and oxygen sources — the three elements needed for a fire to start — as well as the adequacy of escape routes, fire doors, detection systems, firefighting equipment, emergency lighting, and staff training.
While there is some overlap — both documents might, for example, consider the risks posed by flammable substances in the workplace — they approach that overlap from very different angles and for different purposes.
Who Carries Them Out?
Both assessments must be carried out by a competent person. For a health and safety risk assessment, this is typically the employer themselves for straightforward, low-risk workplaces, or an appointed health and safety professional for more complex environments. The Management Regulations define a competent person as someone with sufficient training, experience, knowledge, and other qualities to carry out the assessment properly.
For a fire risk assessment, the same principle applies — but in practice, the technical knowledge required to assess fire detection systems, means of escape, fire door compliance, and the interaction between different fire safety measures means that many businesses and building managers choose to appoint a qualified external fire risk assessor. This is particularly important for higher-risk premises, larger or more complex buildings, and premises subject to specific regulatory requirements such as HMOs, care homes, or multi-occupied residential buildings.
Can They Be Combined?
In some circumstances, particularly for small, low-risk premises, elements of both assessments can be incorporated into a single document — provided that document meets the minimum requirements of both the Management Regulations and the RRO.
The HSE acknowledges that a separate DSEAR assessment, for example, may not always be necessary if its requirements are adequately covered within an existing risk assessment.
However, for most businesses of any meaningful size or complexity, keeping the two assessments separate is strongly advisable. It makes it easier to demonstrate compliance with each piece of legislation individually, simpler to update and review each document when changes occur, and clearer for staff and inspectors to understand what has been assessed and why.
How Often Do They Need to Be Reviewed?
Both assessments are living documents — they are not a one-off exercise.
A health and safety risk assessment must be reviewed whenever there is reason to believe it is no longer valid, or when there has been a significant change in the matters to which it relates.
In practice, most businesses review theirs annually as a minimum.
A fire risk assessment must similarly be kept under review and revised where necessary.
The RRO does not specify a fixed review interval, but the generally accepted standard is annual review for most premises, with immediate review following any significant change – a change in building use, a refurbishment, a change in occupancy, a fire or near miss, or a change in the identity of the Responsible Person.
Do You Have Both in Place?
If you’re a business owner or building manager and you’re not certain whether you have both a current, compliant fire risk assessment and a health and safety risk assessment in place, the time to address that is now – not when an inspector arrives or, worse, following an incident.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we specialise in fire risk assessments for commercial premises, residential buildings, HMOs, and a wide range of other property types.
If you need support understanding your fire safety obligations or want to arrange a professional fire risk assessment, our team is here to help.
