Guidance on Fire Risks and Preventative Measures for shops and offices

The foundational strategy for preventing fires in offices and shops is the systematic separation of flammable materials from ignition sources.

• Housekeeping and Waste Management: Accumulation of combustible materials should be strictly monitored. Waste should be kept in suitable containers, and external bins (especially wheeled ones) should be secured in a compound to prevent them from being moved against the building and ignited. Skips must be placed at least 6 metres away from any part of the building.

• Storage Practices: In offices, large quantities of paper records should be filed in proprietary cabinets to reduce the arson risk. In shops, retail areas are often well-maintained, but stockrooms can become neglected dumping grounds. Stock should be stored in dedicated rooms or cupboards, and horizontal stacking (e.g., rugs on a floor) is preferred over vertical displays (e.g., carpets hung on walls), which allow fire to spread rapidly upwards.

• Dangerous Substances:

  • Flammable Liquids: Highly flammable liquids like methylated spirits produce heavy vapours that can travel to distant ignition sources. These should be stored in fire-resisting cabinets or bins (up to 50 litres) that can contain leaks.

  • LPG: The total amount of LPG on display in retail areas should not exceed 70kg, or 15kg if the premises are under residential accommodation, unless separated by a 60-minute fire-resisting partition.

  • Fireworks: Retailers must be registered or licensed and should store fireworks in dry places away from escape routes and ignition sources.

  • Aerosols: These can explode and rocket up to 40 metres when ignited; damaged cans should be removed immediately to well-ventilated areas.

• Equipment and Machinery: Fires often result from clogged ventilation points causing overheating or inadequate cleaning of kitchen extraction equipment. Heating appliances should ideally be fixed convector or fan heaters rather than radiant ones; portable fuel-burning heaters (like LPG) should only be used in exceptional circumstances.

• Cooking Processes: Extensive catering facilities should be separated by fire-resisting construction. Kitchen ducts require regular cleaning to prevent grease buildup, and deep fat fryers should have automatic temperature cut-offs and fire suppression systems.

• Electrical Safety: This is a major cause of fire due to overloading, faulty maintenance, or incorrect fuse ratings. Portable equipment should undergo Portable Appliance Testing (PAT), and fixed installations should be inspected by a competent engineer.

• Managing Building Work: Refurbishments introduce higher risks like "hot work" (welding, soldering). These must be controlled via a permit-to-work system, ensuring a formal check of safe systems and time limits.

• Insulated Core Panels: Many modern buildings use panels with central cores of mineral rock, PIR, PUR, or EPS. Polymeric cores (like EPS) can melt and produce dense toxic smoke or lead to early structural collapse. Owners should repair any damage to the metal skin immediately and avoid installing heating appliances against these panels.

• Arson Prevention: Measures include well-lit perimeters, secure entry points, and fitting metal letterboxes on the inside of letter flaps to contain burning materials.

• Special Needs: Employers must anticipate "reasonable adjustments" for disabled people, such as contrasting colours on handrails. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) should be developed through consultation to ensure every individual can leave safely.

Section 2: Fire Detection and Warning Systems

• System Types: A simple shout of "fire" or a manual gong may suffice in small, open-plan, single-storey buildings. More complex premises require an electrical system with manual call points and electronic sirens.

• Manual Call Points: These should be red, fitted at 1.4m height, and positioned so that no one has to travel more than 45m to reach one.

• Automatic Fire Detection (AFD): Necessary in unoccupied areas (storerooms), common corridors in multi-occupied buildings, or areas where people work alone and might be trapped before noticing a fire.

• False Alarms: These lead to complacency; owners should investigate causes, such as moving a detector away from a microwave or fitting a guard over a call point in a busy storage area.

• Power Supply: Systems must have a backup supply capable of operating the system for 24 hours and sounding the alarm for 30 minutes.

• Maintenance: Daily visual checks of the panel, weekly tests of a manual call point, and six-monthly servicing by a competent person are required.

Section 3: Firefighting Equipment and Facilities

• Portable Extinguishers:

  • Provision: For Class A risks (solids), provide one water-based extinguisher for every 200m² of floor space (minimum two per floor).

  • Siting: They should be on escape routes near exits, with a maximum travel distance of 30m to reach one.

  • Types: Water (red), Foam (cream), Powder (blue), CO2 (black), and Class F (canary yellow) for fat fryers.

• Fixed Installations:

  • Hose Reels: These should be maintained annually and used only by trained staff; they are not safe for aerosol fires.

  • Sprinklers: Highly effective for life and property protection. If the system is out of order, extra staff should conduct fire patrols, and "hot work" must be avoided.

• Facilities for Firefighters:

  • Access: Fire engines must be able to park within a reasonable distance; access roads and dry rising main inlet boxes must be kept clear of parked cars.

  • Shafts and Lifts: Firefighting shafts (with protected lobbies and two sets of fire doors) allow firefighters to reach upper floors safely.

  • Smoke Control: Automatic vents (SHEVS) or smoke reservoirs help clear hot gases to assist both escape and firefighting.

Section 4: Further Guidance on Escape Routes

The primary goal is to ensure people can escape unaided to a place of total safety.

• Risk-Based Travel Distances: These benchmarks are flexible based on risk level:

  • Higher Risk: 12m (single route) / 25m (multiple routes).

  • Normal Risk: 18m (single route) / 45m (multiple routes).

  • Lower Risk: 25m (single route) / 60m (multiple routes).

• Capacity and Width: A 750mm wide route can accommodate 100 people in normal risk areas, while a 1050mm route accommodates 200. Aggregated width must be sufficient after discounting the widest exit.

• Inner Rooms: These are rooms where the only escape is through another room. They require a vision panel, a 500mm gap at the ceiling, or AFD in the access room. Occupancy should be limited to 60.

• Dead-End Conditions: Escape in only one direction requires limited travel distance and either AFD or fire-resisting construction.

• Basements: These are higher risk; stairways serving upper floors should ideally not extend to the basement. If they do, they must be separated by a fire-resisting lobby or corridor.

• Stairway Protection: Protected stairways are "places of reasonable safety". Accommodation stairways (used for general movement) should not normally be included in escape capacity calculations unless assessed as safe.

• External Stairs: Must be protected along their full length; windows/doors within 1.8m horizontally or 9m vertically must be fire-resisting and fixed shut.

• Doors: Final exits must open in the direction of travel and be easily openable without a key. Revolving doors are only acceptable if they have leaves that fold outward.

Section 5 & 6: Emergency Lighting, Signs, and Notices

• Emergency Escape Lighting: Required for internal routes without windows or areas used during darkness. It must illuminate each exit door, changes in floor level, and firefighting equipment. Systems should have a 3-hour duration; maintenance includes a monthly function test and an annual full discharge test.

• Way-Guidance: Low-level photoluminescent tracks or LEDs can help people escape through smoke.

• Signs: Must be pictographic (no text-only signs). They should be positioned so that the next sign is always in sight along the route.

• Notices: "Fire Action" notices should be posted at call points and common assembly areas (canteens, locker rooms). Fire doors must be labelled "Fire door - keep shut".

Section 7: Management, Planning, and Training

• Record Keeping: If employing five or more people, you must record significant findings, preventative measures, and the emergency plan. A logbook should track all maintenance and testing of fire safety systems.

• Emergency Plans: These should cover alarm procedures, assembly points, and duties of nominated staff. In multi-occupied buildings, a single co-ordinated plan is often necessary.

• Staff Training: Induction training for new staff must cover alarm recognition, escape routes, and opening emergency doors. Fire Marshals require advanced training in search procedures and human behaviour.

• Fire Drills: Should be conducted at least annually. They should simulate a blocked exit to force staff to use alternative routes and include a roll call to account for all occupants.

Section 8: Quality Assurance

Factory and shop owners are strongly encouraged to use products and installers with third-party certification. This provides the highest assurance of quality and competence, helping to demonstrate compliance with fire safety law in the event of an inspection or incident

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information within these pages are accurate and not misleading, LESH Consulting Ltd cannot accept any liability for any loss or liability arising from the use of any such information.