Short answer
What should a commercial kitchen FRA cover?
The fire risk assessment should cover the kitchen as part of the whole premises and operation. It must identify how fire could start, grow and spread; who could be harmed; and whether prevention, warning, escape, firefighting and management arrangements are adequate.
This applies across restaurant, hotel, pub, banqueting, production, delivery and temporary event kitchens. The appropriate scope changes with the equipment, fuel, throughput, building and people at risk.
Cooking line
Open flames, hot oil, heated surfaces, controls, clearances and operator practices.
Extraction route
Canopy, filters, plenums, ducts, fans, access panels, fire-resisting penetrations and discharge.
Fuel and power
Gas, LPG, electricity, solid fuel, isolation, ventilation and emergency shutdown.
People and escape
Kitchen staff, agency workers, contractors, customers, sleeping guests and shared escape routes.
Building protection
Separation, fire doors, ceilings, service openings, alarms, lighting and firefighting equipment.
Management evidence
Cleaning, maintenance, training, opening checks, defects, incidents and action closure.
Do not confuse the documents
FRA, food safety, DSEAR and servicing records
Several assessments and certificates may exist for the same kitchen. Each has a different purpose, and a competent FRA should use relevant evidence without pretending that one document covers every duty.
| Document or evidence | What it contributes | What it does not replace |
|---|---|---|
| Fire risk assessment | Life-safety evaluation of fire hazards, people, precautions and management across the premises. | Gas, electrical, extraction or suppression specialist inspection and design. |
| Food-safety system or HACCP | Control of food-safety hazards and operational hygiene. | The premises fire risk assessment. |
| DSEAR assessment | Dangerous substances and explosive-atmosphere risk where the regulations apply. | The wider FRA, although findings must be coordinated. |
| Gas and electrical evidence | Condition, maintenance or safety information for the relevant installations and equipment. | Judgement about escape, fire spread, people and the complete premises. |
| Extraction cleaning record | Evidence of the identified system, cleaning scope and condition at that time. | Assessment of fire spread, access, fire stopping or the wider operation. |
| Insurer or suppression survey | Risk-control or policy information and specialist system evidence. | The responsible person’s Fire Safety Order duties. |
Hazard pathway 01
Cooking, hot oil, gas, LPG and solid fuel
High temperatures and combustible cooking media can turn a small failure into a rapidly developing fire. The assessment should consider normal service, cleaning, shutdown, maintenance, loss of ventilation and foreseeable misuse.
- Identify every cooking method, appliance and fuel source
- Check clearances from packaging, cloths, oils, decoration and storage
- Confirm safe, accessible isolation for gas, LPG and electrical supplies
- Control portable or spare LPG cylinders and coordinate any DSEAR implications
- Review fryer thermostats, maintenance, oil condition and safe operating practices
- For charcoal, wood-fired and tandoor equipment, assess ventilation, carbon monoxide, ash and fuel storage
- Control hot work and maintenance that could ignite grease or hidden combustible material
- Train staff in shutdown, alarm raising, evacuation and safe limits of first-aid firefighting
Hazard pathway 02
Follow fire through the extraction system
Visible filters are only the beginning of the route. A grease-laden duct can carry fire through concealed voids, upper floors, neighbouring premises or the roof, especially where access, cleaning or fire-resisting construction is inadequate.
- Identify the complete canopy, plenum, duct, fan and discharge route
- Confirm access panels permit inspection and cleaning of the full relevant system
- Check cleaning frequency against cooking type, volume and grease accumulation
- Retain reports that identify the system and what was actually inspected and cleaned
- Check duct penetrations and enclosure where the route crosses fire-resisting walls or floors
- Consider deposits, damage, leakage, concealed combustible materials and rooftop conditions
- Review shutdown or interlock behaviour and how staff respond to a fire
- Record limitations and refer uncertain construction or inaccessible ducts for specialist investigation
Protection decisions
Suppression, extinguishers and fire blankets
Automatic kitchen suppression can materially reduce risk for some cooking lines, but it is not automatically required in every commercial kitchen. The need can arise from the assessed risk, building design, insurer requirements, lease or other conditions.
Where suppression is installed, its nozzles, detection, manual controls, shutdown interfaces, coverage and maintenance should match the current appliance layout. Moving or replacing equipment can make an existing design ineffective.
- Confirm that firefighting media matches cooking-oil, electrical and other hazards
- Keep equipment accessible without requiring a person to approach an unsafe fire
- Check that fire blankets are suitable, visible and not treated as a reason to take risks
- Maintain suppression and portable equipment through competent providers
- Train relevant staff on raising the alarm, isolating equipment and evacuating
- Review suppression coverage after any change to the cooking line
Whole-premises consequence
Protect escape routes and adjoining uses
The kitchen cannot be assessed in isolation. Fire and smoke may affect dining areas, basements, bedrooms, flats above, common stairs or adjoining businesses. Warning and escape arrangements must work for everyone who could be affected.
- Check fire separation around the kitchen and any protected escape route
- Inspect relevant fire doors for closing, damage and obvious installation defects
- Confirm alarm detection and audibility in hot, noisy and enclosed areas
- Test escape under peak staffing, deliveries, queues and waste-handling conditions
- Coordinate shared alarms, stairs, utilities and emergency arrangements with other responsible persons
- Plan for disabled people, lone workers, agency staff and contractors
- Keep final exits and external routes clear of waste, cylinders and deliveries
Evidence and review
Records that make the assessment more reliable
Good evidence allows the assessor to distinguish a controlled hazard from an unsupported assumption. Records should show defects and remedial work as well as routine attendance dates.
- Cooking-equipment installation, maintenance and repair history
- Gas, LPG and electrical inspection or servicing evidence
- Extraction inspection and cleaning reports with identified scope
- Suppression design, commissioning, alterations and servicing records
- Alarm, lighting, fire-door and extinguisher records
- Training, drills, opening and closing checks
- Fires, flare-ups, false alarms, carbon-monoxide events and near misses
- Completed actions, interim controls and planned changes