If you run a small shop, workshop, salon or office, fire safety can feel like one more job on a long list. The good news is that the basics are simple, and a clear plan protects your people, your stock and your business.
Five starting points
- Know who is responsible. The person in control of the premises has the main duty. See our guide on the person in control.
- Look for what can burn and what can start a fire. Stock, waste, heaters, electrics, cooking and smoking.
- Check your way out. Exits should be clear, easy to open from inside and well signed.
- Have working warning and equipment. Detection and alarm, emergency lighting where needed and suitable extinguishers.
- Tell people and write it down. Staff should know what to do, and a simple fire safety register records checks and actions.
Common small-business slips
- Storing stock in corridors or in front of exits
- Wedging fire doors open
- Never testing the alarm
- Letting waste build up out the back
- Forgetting new staff and part-timers
When to get help
If you share a building, have staff or customers on upper floors, handle flammable materials or are simply unsure, a professional fire risk assessment gives you a written picture and a clear action list.
A simple order to work through
If you run a small business, the most useful thing you can do first is understand what could start a fire, who would be affected and how they would get out. You do not need to do everything at once. Work through these in order.
- Know who is in your building. Staff, customers, contractors and anyone who sleeps on the premises. Include out-of-hours workers: see our article on lone workers.
- Look for ignition sources and fuel. Heaters, cooking, electrical equipment, smoking, and what sits near them: paper, packaging, chemicals, waste.
- Make sure people can get out. Clear exits that open easily and routes that are not blocked. See our article on exit doors.
- Have a way to raise the alarm that everyone can hear and understand, and know what to do when it sounds. Choose an assembly point; see our guide.
- Have suitable extinguishers and make sure staff know what they are for and when not to use them. See fire extinguisher servicing.
- Write it down. A written fire risk assessment shows what you found and what you did about it. See our checklist.
Review it
A fire risk assessment is not a one-off. Review it when something changes: a new layout, new equipment, more people, a different use. Our guide to how often to review a fire risk assessment explains what triggers a review.
Local help
We provide fire risk assessments to small businesses across Ireland, including Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway. Call 086 275 9728 or email info@safersolutions.ie for a friendly chat about what your premises needs.
Your duties
The Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003 and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 expect reasonable measures to protect people from fire.
Call 086 275 9728 or email info@safersolutions.ie for a no-obligation chat. Read about fire risk assessments in Ireland.
Looking for help with extinguishers as well? Read about fire extinguisher supply and annual servicing across Ireland.