Every office in Dublin needs a fire risk assessment, whether it is one floor above a shop or several floors of a managed block. Offices are lower risk than hotels or factories, but most of the problems found in them are simple things that built up unnoticed. This guide covers what the law expects and what an assessor looks for.
What the law expects from an office employer
Two duties apply. Section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 requires anyone having control of a premises to take all reasonable measures to guard against the outbreak of fire and to keep people on the premises safe. Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires every employer to identify hazards and hold a written risk assessment. A fire risk assessment covers both.
The fire risks most often missed in offices
- Electrical overload: extension leads plugged into extension leads, and heaters under desks.
- Charging: laptops, phones, e-bikes and e-scooters left charging unattended or in escape routes.
- Storage in the wrong place: boxes, deliveries and old furniture in stairwells, corridors and plant rooms.
- Kitchenettes: toasters, microwaves and dishwashers running after everyone has left.
- Fire doors: wedged open for convenience or damaged by trolleys.
- Server and comms rooms: used as storerooms.
Hybrid working changes the picture
With fewer people in on any given day, the trained fire warden for a floor may be at home when the alarm sounds. Your assessment should check that there are enough trained people on site every day, that visitor and contractor sign-in is reliable, and that anyone who needs help to evacuate has a plan that does not depend on one colleague.
Shared buildings: you and your landlord
In a multi-tenant building, the tenant is usually responsible for their own floor and the landlord or managing agent for stairs, lobbies and the shared alarm system. Check what your lease says, and find out when the common-area alarm is tested and where the assembly point is. Our guide to who is responsible for fire safety in a building explains how the duty is shared.
What the assessor reviews
- Sources of ignition and how combustible materials are stored.
- Escape routes, exits, signage and emergency lighting.
- Fire detection and alarm, including whether it can be heard in every room.
- Fire doors and the separation between floors and risk rooms.
- Extinguishers: the right types in the right places, and serviced.
- Training, fire wardens, drills and the fire safety register.
What you get
A written report with each finding ranked by priority and a clear action for each one. Most office actions are low cost: move the storage, replace the wedges with proper hold-open devices, retrain the wardens.
Safer Solutions carries out fire risk assessments for offices across Dublin city and county. Call 086 275 9728, email info@safersolutions.ie or request a quote.