Irish law does not set a fixed interval for reviewing a fire risk assessment. It must be reviewed when something significant changes, or when there is reason to believe it is no longer valid. In practice, many businesses also review it once a year so that changes are not missed.
What the law says
Section 19 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires an employer to review the risk assessment where there has been a significant change in the matters it relates to, or where there is another reason to believe it is no longer valid, and to amend it afterwards if needed. Section 18(2) of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 adds an ongoing duty: fire safety measures and procedures must be applied at all times, not only on the day of the assessment.
Changes that should trigger a review
- Building work: extensions, new partitions, a mezzanine or a changed layout.
- Change of use: a store becomes an office, or an office becomes sleeping accommodation.
- More people, or different people: higher numbers, night shifts, or occupants who need help to evacuate.
- New processes or materials: flammable liquids, new machinery, battery charging.
- Changes to fire systems: a new alarm panel, or doors and detectors removed during refurbishment.
- A fire, a near miss or a false-alarm pattern.
- A new tenant or neighbour in a shared building.
- Findings from a fire authority or regulator inspection.
Why an annual review makes sense
Small changes add up. Storage creeps into corridors, staff who were trained move on, and service contracts lapse. A yearly review catches these before they become serious, and it gives you a dated record showing the assessment is still current. Higher-risk premises, such as nursing homes and hotels, often review more frequently.
Review or new assessment?
A review checks that the existing assessment still reflects the building and that the actions in it have been closed out. A new assessment is the better choice after major building work, a change of use, or when the last one is several years old and the action plan was never completed.
Between reviews
- Work through the action plan and record what was done and when.
- Keep the fire safety register up to date.
- Run drills and record how they went.
- Tell your assessor about changes before they happen, not after.
Not sure what your assessor will look at? See our fire risk assessment checklist.
Safer Solutions carries out new fire risk assessments and reviews of existing ones across Ireland. Call 086 275 9728, email info@safersolutions.ie or request a quote.