Key takeaways
- PAS 79 is a recognised method for fire risk assessment, not a legal requirement in itself
- PAS 79-1:2020 covers non-housing premises; BS 9792:2025 covers housing
- A good report ends in a clear, prioritised action plan
- Review the assessment regularly and after any significant change
- Choose an assessor with proven competence for your type of building
Why a method matters
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which applies in both England and Wales, requires the Responsible Person for a premises to carry out a "suitable and sufficient" assessment of the risk from fire. It does not say how. That leaves a lot of room for assessments that are thin, inconsistent or impossible to follow a year later.
PAS 79 was written to close that gap. It is a Publicly Available Specification published by BSI that sets out a recognised way to gather information, judge the risk and record the results. If an enforcing authority, insurer or court ever asks whether your assessment was adequate, a report that follows a recognised methodology is strong evidence that it was.
PAS 79-1 and BS 9792: which one applies?
There are now two documents, split by the type of building:
- PAS 79-1:2020 covers premises other than housing: offices, shops, factories, warehouses, schools, care homes, hotels, places of worship and the non-residential parts of mixed-use buildings.
- BS 9792:2025 covers housing: the common parts of purpose-built blocks of flats, converted houses split into flats, and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). It replaced PAS 79-2, the former housing part, and follows the same structured approach adapted for residential buildings.
People still say "a PAS 79 assessment" to mean any assessment done to a recognised structured method, and in practice that is usually what they are asking for. For a block of flats, what you should expect today is an assessment to BS 9792. For a mixed-use building, such as shops below flats, the assessor may apply each document to the relevant part.
How the method works
PAS 79 sets out a logical sequence, often summarised as nine steps. You do not need to memorise them, but knowing the shape of the process helps you judge whether an assessment was done properly. In plain terms, the assessor:
- Gathers informationAbout the building, its construction and layout, how it is used, and the people who use it, including anyone who would need help to escape.
- Identifies fire hazardsSources of ignition, fuel and oxygen, and how they are controlled or could be removed.
- Judges the likelihood of a fireTaking into account the hazards found and how well they are managed.
- Examines the fire protection measuresMeans of escape, detection and alarm, emergency lighting, signage, fire doors, compartmentation and firefighting equipment.
- Reviews fire safety managementTraining, drills, testing and maintenance records, the emergency plan and who is responsible for what.
- Considers the consequencesHow badly people could be harmed if a fire did start, given the building and its occupants.
- Reaches an overall risk ratingCombining likelihood and consequence into a single judgement.
- Writes an action planSetting out what needs to be done, by when, to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
- Sets a review dateSo the assessment is revisited before it goes out of date.
The value is in the discipline. Each area is looked at in the same order every time, so nothing is quietly left out and two assessments of the same building should reach similar conclusions.
What a good report contains
A report written to PAS 79-1 or BS 9792 should be readable by the person who has to act on it. Expect to see:
- The premises, its use and the Responsible Person, with the date of the inspection and the name of the assessor
- The scope: what was inspected, what could not be accessed and any limitations
- A description of the people at risk, including those who sleep there or need help to escape
- Observations on each fire safety area, based on what the assessor actually saw
- An overall risk rating with a short explanation of how it was reached
- A prioritised action plan and a recommended date for review
Be wary of reports that are mostly generic text, that list findings without saying what to do about them, or that give every action the same priority. None of those help you spend your budget where it matters.
Risk ratings
Many assessments use a simple matrix that combines the likelihood of a fire (for example low, medium or high) with the potential consequences for people (for example slight, moderate or extreme harm). The result is an overall rating on a scale that commonly runs from trivial to intolerable. The rating is a professional judgement, not a score calculated to a formula, so the report should say why it was given.
The action plan
The action plan is the part you will use most. Each action should have a clear description, a priority and a timescale, so you can assign it, track it and show when it was completed. Serious issues, such as a blocked escape route or a missing fire door, should be flagged for immediate attention, not left in a long list.
Who should carry it out?
The law requires the assessment to be carried out by a competent person: someone with the training, knowledge and experience to do it properly for that type of building. For a small, simple, low-risk workplace, a Responsible Person may be able to do it themselves. For premises where people sleep, where people need help to escape, or where the building is complex, a professional assessor is the sensible choice.
To judge competence, ask for evidence of experience with buildings like yours, and knowledge of fire safety law in Wales and England. Check that they follow a recognised method such as PAS 79-1 or BS 9792, ask to see an example report so you know the findings and action plan will be clear, and confirm they hold suitable professional indemnity insurance. Third-party certification schemes also exist: under BAFE SP205, for example, an independent certification body audits a company's fire risk assessment process and the competence of its assessors. Where certification is available it is useful extra evidence, but it is one indicator among several.
How often should it be reviewed?
There is no single legal interval. The Fire Safety Order requires the assessment to be reviewed regularly and whenever there is reason to think it is no longer valid, or there has been a significant change. Typical triggers include building works, a change of use or layout, a change in the people using the building, new equipment or processes, and any fire or near miss.
As a guide, higher-risk premises such as care homes, HMOs and buildings where people sleep are commonly reviewed at least once a year. Lower-risk premises that have not changed are often reviewed every one to three years. Your report should state a recommended review date and the reasons for it.
Recording the assessment: England and Wales
In England
Since 1 October 2023, amendments made by the Building Safety Act 2022 require every Responsible Person to record the full fire risk assessment and their fire safety arrangements in writing, whatever the size of the organisation. The duties to co-operate and to share information were also strengthened.
In Wales
A written record of the significant findings is required where you employ five or more people, hold a licence, or have an alterations notice. We recommend a written assessment in every case, as it is the only practical way to show it was done. The Welsh Government is reforming building safety law, including new duties for multi-occupied residential buildings.
What to do next
Find your current assessment and check three things: which method it follows, when it was last reviewed, and whether the action plan has been worked through. If it is out of date, generic, or written before significant changes to the building, it is time for a new one. We carry out assessments to PAS 79-1:2020 and BS 9792:2025 across South Wales, Bristol and the South West.