Workplace Fire Safety Checks for Managers

The boxes were only going to be there for a minute. Then a delivery arrived. Then the phone rang. By lunchtime, the escape route had acquired its own little warehouse.

Sound familiar?

Everyday changes can undermine sensible fire precautions. These five workplace fire safety checks are a starting point for managers and supervisors to spot problems and follow them up. Use them alongside your premises’ fire risk assessment and procedures, with competent advice where needed.

1 Walk the escape route

Start where people actually work and follow the route to the designated safe place. Look for obstructions, confusing signs and doors that may be difficult to open. Think about visitors who do not know the building as well as you do.

An exit sign is useful. A route people can actually use is rather more useful. Raise problems immediately through your workplace arrangements and have them resolved by the appropriate person. Do not treat a blocked route as something for the next monthly meeting.

2 Ask what people would actually do

Pick a quiet moment to ask a new starter how they would raise the alarm and where they would go. Ask who makes sure visitors are accounted for. This is a supportive conversation, not an ambush quiz.

If answers differ from your emergency plan, you have found something to fix. Repeat the explanation, check understanding and arrange any necessary training. Also consider how people who need assistance will evacuate, including when usual helpers are absent. GOV.UK Fire safety and evacuation plans

3 Look for changes since the assessment

New equipment, altered layouts, different storage and changes in how the building is used can all matter. The useful question is whether the current assessment still reflects what happens today.

For example, a room that used to hold stationery might now contain equipment and charging points. Do not assume the old assessment covers the new arrangement. Tell the person responsible for the fire risk assessment so the change can be considered properly. GOV.UK Fire safety risk assessment offices and shops

4 Check that faults reach someone who can act

A faulty door closer reported to three colleagues is still a faulty door closer. Make sure staff know the reporting route and that reports reach a named person with responsibility for arranging action.

You are not being asked to service alarms or assess technical defects yourself. You are checking that the workplace has a reliable way to recognise a concern, escalate it and follow it through. A photo and precise location can make an ordinary defect report much more useful, where workplace rules allow.

5 Return to the issue

Keep a simple action record: what was found, who is dealing with it, when it needs attention and how completion will be checked. Prioritise according to the risk and seek appropriate advice if you are unsure.

If the same escape route is repeatedly blocked, explore why. Is storage inadequate? Are deliveries arriving at the wrong place? Removing today’s boxes is necessary, but addressing the reason they keep appearing is how you stop repeating the conversation.

A worked example from an ordinary delivery day

Imagine you supervise a small warehouse with an adjoining office. A delivery arrives early and the usual storage area is full. Someone places several cartons beside an exit while they look for space. No alarm sounds and no evacuation takes place. It is tempting to move the cartons and consider the matter finished.

Once the immediate concern has been dealt with safely, ask how the decision arose. Was the alternative storage location clear? Did the delivery team know that the route had to remain available? Who could authorise a temporary storage arrangement? Did the pressure to unload quickly make the wrong option seem like the easiest one?

Those questions give the manager something useful to work on. The answer might involve changing delivery planning, identifying suitable overflow storage or making responsibilities clearer. The appropriate response will depend on the site and its assessment. The point is to make a safe arrangement workable during the next delivery, not merely to restore a tidy photograph today.

Bring the checks into everyday management

A short, purposeful walk-round is easier to sustain when somebody owns it. Agree who checks which area, what they should report and how urgent concerns are escalated. Tie the checks to the arrangements already in place rather than creating a second system that nobody understands.

Include people who work different shifts. A route that is clear during an office-hours visit may be used differently during cleaning, maintenance or evening deliveries. Ask those teams what changes during their work. Their knowledge can reveal issues that a quick daytime inspection misses.

Keep records proportionate and useful. A description such as “exit beside loading bay two obstructed by cartons” is more actionable than “housekeeping issue”. Record the response as well as the concern. If the action needs specialist input or management approval, make that dependency visible so it does not quietly disappear.

Common questions about workplace fire safety checks

Are these five checks a fire risk assessment?

No. They are prompts for observing everyday arrangements. A suitable fire risk assessment considers the premises, activities and people at risk in more depth. A successful walk-round does not establish that every fire precaution is adequate.

Should every manager inspect technical equipment?

Only within their responsibilities and competence. Seeing damage or noticing a fault is different from testing, repairing or certifying equipment. Follow the maintenance and reporting arrangements for the premises and involve the appropriate competent person.

Can a checklist be the same for every workplace?

A standard format may help, but the content needs to reflect the location. A small office, a workshop and a public-facing venue have different activities and occupants. Use the relevant premises guidance and the findings of the assessment to decide what the local checks should cover.

What if an issue keeps coming back?

Treat recurrence as useful information. Check whether the agreed action was implemented and whether it addressed the reason for the problem. Repeating an instruction more loudly is unlikely to solve a lack of space, unclear responsibility or an impractical process.

Already passed your NEBOSH General Certificate

These are the kinds of workplace questions that help turn learning into practice. A general qualification does not mean you should take on every specialist fire safety task yourself. Recognising the limits of your knowledge and getting appropriate support is part of doing the job well.

Interested in developing your fire safety knowledge? Read Compassa’s fire-course update or contact the team to discuss suitable training. Know someone responsible for a busy workplace? Share this guide with them.

Further reading: GOV.UK fire safety and evacuation plans GOV.UK Fire safety and evacuation plans; fire safety risk assessment guidance for offices and shops in England GOV.UK Fire safety risk assessment offices and shops. Requirements and guidance differ by premises and UK jurisdiction.