Fire Safety Order 2005
Requires a suitable and sufficient assessment, full recording, general precautions, maintenance, training and emergency planning.
Warehouse operators, landlords and logistics managers
Fire risk assessment for warehouses and storage units
Assess stock loading, racking, batteries, vehicles, long escape routes and changing warehouse operations, then request a tailored quote.
Key points
Warehouse or storage unit fire risk assessment at a glance
- Racking, stock and high fire loads
- Forklifts, charging and vehicle movements
- Large spaces and long escape routes
- London and Surrey assessment enquiries
- The responsible person must arrange a suitable and sufficient assessment and record its findings in full.
- Review the assessment when changes, an incident or new information could affect its validity.
Property-specific guidance
Why this premises type needs its own assessment
Warehouses can contain large quantities of combustible stock arranged vertically and across extensive floor areas. Packaging, pallets, aerosols, batteries, vehicles and automated equipment can increase both the likelihood of fire and the speed or scale of fire development.
The assessment should reflect the actual goods stored, storage height, racking layout, compartmentation, staffing, shift patterns, mezzanines, loading areas, plant and fire-protection systems. A small self-storage building and a high-bay distribution centre require very different scope and assessor competence.
Legal responsibility
Who must arrange the assessment?
The employer or warehouse operator is normally responsible for areas under its control. Owners, managing agents, third-party logistics providers and individual tenants may also be responsible persons and must coordinate where the building, yards, alarms, access or fire systems are shared.
Read the main fire risk assessment guideLegal framework
Fire-safety duties affecting this property
The Fire Safety Order is the core life-safety regime in England. Other laws and sector requirements can overlap, so the assessment and action plan should not be managed in isolation.
Dangerous substances duties
Flammable liquids, gases, aerosols, dusts and other hazardous materials may require specific assessment and controls under DSEAR.
Workplace health and safety
Vehicle movements, charging, machinery and work processes must be coordinated with fire precautions and emergency arrangements.
Building and planning controls
Mezzanines, compartment changes, high-bay storage and material alterations must not undermine the building fire strategy.
Assessment scope
What the assessor should examine
The final scope should reflect the actual building and any limitations. A site visit and a prioritised written report are fundamental for a professional assessment.
Stock and storage profile
Record commodities, packaging, quantities, storage height, racking, segregation and seasonal peaks.
Escape and occupancy
Check travel distances, exits, mezzanines, dead ends, shift numbers, lone working and unfamiliar drivers.
Detection and suppression
Review alarm coverage, smoke or heat detection, sprinklers, smoke control, hydrants and interfaces with automation.
Vehicles and charging
Assess forklifts, loading vehicles, lithium-ion charging, fuel, impact damage and separation from combustible stock.
Fire separation
Consider compartments, fire doors, shutters, service penetrations, insulated panels and adjoining occupancies.
Management
Review housekeeping, waste, hot work, contractor control, impairment plans, testing, training and emergency access.
Property-specific hazards
Risks that deserve particular attention
These examples are prompts, not a complete checklist. The assessment must identify all significant hazards and how they could affect people in and around the premises.
High combustible loading
Closely packed stock and packaging can produce rapid fire growth and challenge suppression systems.
Battery charging
Forklift and lithium-ion batteries can introduce ignition, toxic smoke and difficult-to-control fires.
Racking and layout changes
Storage changes can affect escape, detection, sprinkler clearances and firefighter access.
Loading and waste areas
Vehicles, damaged goods, pallets and external waste can create ignition and arson risks.
People at risk
Who may need additional consideration?
The assessment must consider everyone lawfully on or near the premises, including people who may be unable to recognise danger, respond quickly or use the standard escape route without help.
Warehouse employees
Staff may work across large areas, at height, in noise or around moving vehicles.
Lone and night workers
Reduced staffing can affect alarm investigation, assistance and roll call.
Drivers and contractors
Visitors may be unfamiliar with routes, alarms and assembly procedures.
People in adjoining units
Smoke and fire can spread between units where separation or shared systems are inadequate.
Emergency planning
Evacuation points to test
A written plan is only useful if it matches the building, occupants, available staff and fire precautions and can be carried out under foreseeable conditions.
- Use the maximum credible shift and include mezzanines, picking aisles, plant and external yards.
- Make warning perceptible where machinery, hearing protection or large volumes can reduce audibility.
- Keep routes and exits visible as stock, racking and temporary staging areas change.
- Coordinate roll call for employees, agency workers, drivers and contractors without delaying evacuation.
What to expect
The five-stage assessment process
- 1
Prepare
Confirm the areas in scope, responsible persons, occupancy, plans, previous reports and relevant fire-safety records.
- 2
Inspect
Walk the premises and examine hazards, people at risk, escape, fire protection and management arrangements.
- 3
Evaluate
Judge whether precautions are suitable for the actual use, occupants, construction and emergency strategy.
- 4
Record and prioritise
Document findings in full and provide a clear, risk-prioritised action plan with responsible owners.
- 5
Review
Keep the assessment current and revisit it when change, an incident or new information may affect its validity.
Evidence and management
Records to prepare and retain
Good records help an assessor understand the premises, allow defects to be tracked and demonstrate that significant findings have been acted on.
- Current FRA and action plan
- Stock profile and dangerous-goods information
- Alarm, sprinkler, lighting and door records
- Racking and layout change controls
- Battery charging and vehicle procedures
- Hot-work, contractor and system-impairment permits
Keeping it current
When to review the assessment
There is no single fixed review interval suitable for every premises. Set a proportionate programme and review sooner whenever there is reason to think the assessment may no longer be valid.
- Significant change in commodities, quantities or storage height
- New racking, mezzanine, automation or compartment layout
- New batteries, charging points, vehicles or dangerous substances
- Change in shifts, staffing, tenants or adjoining uses
- Fire, near miss, sprinkler or alarm activation
- Evidence the assessment or fire strategy may no longer be valid
Quote planning
What affects assessment cost?
A useful quote reflects assessor time, competence, site access and reporting complexity. A low headline price is not meaningful without a clear scope.
Scale and storage height
Floor area, clear height, racking aisles, mezzanines and external yards.
Commodity risk
Stock type, packaging, aerosols, batteries and dangerous substances.
Protection systems
Sprinklers, smoke control, automation, hydrants and impairment arrangements.
Operating complexity
Shifts, vehicles, multiple tenants, contractors and access restrictions.
Choosing an assessor
Check the person as well as the company
BAFE SP205 provides third-party certification for organisations delivering life-safety fire risk assessments. The National Fire Risk Assessors Register (NFRAR), administered by the Institute of Fire Safety Managers, records individually assessed fire risk assessors and their competency level.
Use both as complementary evidence: verify the organisation’s current BAFE SP205 status where applicable and the individual’s current NFRAR registration and assessed level. Also check direct experience with warehouse or storage unit premises, insurance, report scope, site visit, exclusions and how follow-up questions are handled.
Related fire-safety services
Acting on the assessment
The FRA should define outcomes and priorities. Any design, installation, inspection or maintenance work must then be scoped and completed competently.
Local coverage
Find and compare assessment support across London and Surrey
Explore local assessor information and quotation guidance, or use the form below to request a property-specific quote.
Frequently asked questions
Fire risk assessment for warehouses and storage units FAQs
Does a warehouse need a fire risk assessment?
Yes. The responsible person must ensure a suitable and sufficient assessment covers the warehouse, associated workplaces and relevant external or shared areas within their control.
Does the assessment need to consider the type of stock?
Yes. Commodity type, quantity, packaging, storage height and arrangement can materially affect fire growth, smoke, suppression and safe evacuation.
Are self-storage units included?
The operator should assess common areas, management arrangements and the foreseeable risks created by stored contents. Individual units, access restrictions and prohibited-goods controls must be considered in the overall scope.
How often should a warehouse FRA be reviewed?
There is no universal fixed legal interval. Review regularly and whenever stock, racking, processes, protection systems, occupancy or evidence changes, and after a fire, near miss or significant alarm event.
Do sprinklers remove the need for an FRA?
No. Sprinklers can be an important control, but the assessment must still examine prevention, warning, escape, management, maintenance and whether storage remains within the system design.
Property-specific enquiry
Request a quote for your warehouse or storage unit
Provide the essential building and occupancy details. Your enquiry can be reviewed and passed to an assessor serving London or Surrey.
- No obligation to book
- Telephone number required
- Use the details box for unusual risks or deadlines
Sources and limitations
Guidance reviewed 21 July 2026
This page provides general information for England. It is not legal advice, a building-specific assessment or a guarantee of compliance. Fire Safety Services is independent and is not affiliated with BAFE, NFRAR, IFSM, the Government or fire and rescue services.
Other property guides