Small Print, Big Problems: Seven Assessment Failures Insurers Seize Upon

For most business owners, the fire risk assessment is a document that sits in a folder and gathers dust. For an insurance loss adjuster standing in a fire-damaged building, it is the first thing they ask to see.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, every commercial premises in England and Wales requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment — and virtually every commercial insurance policy is written on the assumption that this duty is being met. When it is not, the consequences surface at precisely the moment you can least afford them: mid-claim.

Below are the seven red flags we encounter most frequently, each paired with the practical steps needed to put it right.

1. An Assessment That Has Not Been Reviewed in Years

A fire risk assessment is not a one-off exercise. Legislation requires it to be reviewed regularly and whenever circumstances change — a refurbishment, a change of use, new equipment, altered staffing. An assessment dated three years ago, describing a layout that no longer exists, tells an insurer that fire safety management has lapsed. That alone can provide grounds to dispute a claim.

The remedy: Diary an annual review as a minimum, and trigger an immediate reassessment whenever the premises or its use materially changes.

2. Missing or Out-of-Date Extinguisher Service Records

Every extinguisher on site must be serviced at least annually by a competent person, in line with BS 5306. If an adjuster finds corroded units, expired discharge dates or no service documentation whatsoever, the inference is straightforward: the premises were not maintained to standard.

The remedy: Keep service certificates with the assessment documentation, ensure servicing is contracted to a competent provider, and replace rather than repeatedly repair ageing units.

3. Blocked or Compromised Escape Routes

It is a familiar scene: the fire exit that doubles as a stockroom, the corridor narrowed by pallets, the final exit door chained outside trading hours. Escape routes are among the first things checked after a fire, and obstruction is one of the most damning findings an investigation can record.

The remedy: Enforce a clear escape route policy, conduct regular walk-throughs, and train staff to treat blocked exits as an immediate escalation issue — not a temporary convenience.

4. DIY Assessments by Unqualified Staff

The law permits a 'responsible person' to conduct the assessment themselves — if they are genuinely competent to do so. In practice, an assessment completed by a warehouse supervisor with a downloaded template, lacking methodology, hazard identification or competence evidence, rarely withstands scrutiny. Insurers and enforcing authorities alike treat it as evidence that the duty of care was not discharged.

The remedy: Where in-house competence does not exist, engage a professionally qualified assessor. The cost of a certified assessment is trivial against the value of a commercial property claim.

5. No Evidence of Action on Findings

An assessment that identifies significant findings — a faulty alarm, inadequate signage, missing fire doors — and shows no record of remedial action is arguably worse than no assessment at all. It demonstrates that hazards were known and left unaddressed.

The remedy: Maintain an action log with dates, responsible persons and completion evidence. Close out findings promptly and document everything.

6. Gaps in Alarm and Detection Maintenance

Fire detection and alarm systems require routine testing and periodic servicing to BS 5839. A logbook with weeks of missing weekly tests, or a control panel showing unresolved faults, undermines the insurer's confidence that the fire safety regime was functioning at the time of loss.

The remedy: Assign weekly test responsibilities to named individuals, keep the logbook current, and contract qualified engineers for six-monthly servicing.

7. Incomplete Fire Safety Documentation Overall

Staff training records, emergency plans, evacuation drills, maintenance certificates — an insurer assessing a claim expects to see a coherent body of evidence. Scattered, incomplete or missing paperwork suggests the wider management of fire risk was similarly fragmented.

The remedy: Consolidate all fire safety records into a single, regularly updated file — digital or physical — and audit it annually.

Protection Beyond the Premium

It is worth stating plainly: the purpose of a robust fire risk assessment is not merely to satisfy an insurer. Its primary function is to protect the people who work in and visit your premises. But the commercial reality remains that compliance and insurability are intertwined, and a claim refused on the grounds of inadequate fire safety management can be an existential blow to a business.

At Mercury Fire Safety, our certified assessors produce thorough, defensible fire risk assessments supported by complete documentation — the kind that protects your people first, and stands up to scrutiny second. If your current assessment has not been reviewed within the last twelve months, now is the time to act.