Running a bar or restaurant comes with constant pressure. Managing staff, keeping customers safe, maintaining licences and protecting your reputation all sit firmly on your shoulders.
Fire safety is not just another compliance task. In the hospitality industry, there is an increased risk of fire due to the nature of commercial kitchens and busy environments, making awareness and preventative measures essential. In hospitality settings, the risks are heightened, the consequences are severe, and enforcement scrutiny is often greater. Neglecting fire safety can result in severe property damage, legal penalties, and health risks.
In this guide, we explain what makes fire risk assessments for bars and restaurants different, what the law requires, and how to ensure your premises are properly protected. Fire risk assessments should also consider vulnerable groups such as staff, customers, disabled persons, and children.
Why Bars and Restaurants Carry Higher Fire Risk
Hospitality environments combine several elevated risk factors:
- Commercial kitchens with open flames, fryers and extraction systems
- Alcohol consumption which can impair judgement during evacuation
- High occupancy levels and crowd density
- Low lighting and complex layouts
- Late night trading
- Staff turnover and varying training standards
- Common fire hazards, including the most common fire hazards found in commercial premises such as bars and restaurants, like kitchen fires, electrical faults, and unattended equipment
Commercial kitchens are particularly vulnerable to fire hazards due to the nature of work activities.
These factors significantly increase both the likelihood of a fire starting and the complexity of evacuation. Understanding the specific areas of fire safety and fire safety risks in hospitality environments is essential for effective risk management.
A generic fire risk assessment simply will not be sufficient in most hospitality settings.
What Does the Law Require?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which forms the core of fire safety legislation and fire safety regulations in England and Wales, the Responsible Person must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place for every business premises, including restaurants, food businesses, and drink premises. Since October 2023, it is a legal requirement for all business premises in England and Wales to have a written fire risk assessment, and records must be maintained to demonstrate compliance, especially if the business has five or more employees.
Fire risk assessments are a legal obligation for commercial kitchens and must be recorded in writing. The law also requires that suitable emergency and evacuation procedures are implemented as part of fire safety regulations.
For bars and restaurants, this means:
- Identifying ignition sources such as cooking equipment and electrical installations
- Assessing the risk to staff, employees, customers and contractors
- Implementing and maintaining adequate fire detection and warning systems
- Ensuring clear escape routes within the building
- Maintaining emergency lighting
- Providing appropriate fire fighting equipment
- Reviewing and updating the assessment regularly, especially whenever there are significant changes in the building, such as new staff or equipment
It is essential to implement and maintain effective fire safety measures and safety measures, and to control fire risks through regular inspections, staff training, and adherence to fire safety regulations.
Local fire and rescue authorities are the primary bodies responsible for enforcing fire safety legislation in bars and restaurants, typically under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. They conduct inspections, review risk assessments, and can issue notices or close premises deemed unsafe. The Responsible Person must ensure compliance with fire safety regulations, maintain effective procedures, and keep records up to date to demonstrate ongoing control of fire risks.
Failure to comply can result in enforcement notices, fines, business closure and reputational damage.
Key Fire Risks in Bars and Restaurants
Commercial Kitchens
Cooking equipment is the leading cause of fires in hospitality premises.
Deep fat fryers, gas ranges and solid fuel appliances present significant ignition risks. Grease build-up in extraction systems and ducting is a major fire hazard and must be cleaned regularly to prevent ignition. Insufficient cleaning of grease in commercial kitchens can quickly lead to dangerous fire situations. Regular cleaning and maintenance of all kitchen equipment, including extraction systems, is crucial to reduce fire risks.
Your assessment must consider:
- Cleaning and maintenance schedules, including regular servicing of kitchen equipment and extraction systems
- Fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets, with staff trained in their proper use
- Suppression systems, including the potential need for fire suppression systems like Ansul systems depending on the fire risk assessment
- Gas safety controls
- Fire doors, which are a legal requirement in commercial kitchens to protect escape routes and prevent the spread of fire and smoke
- Portable appliance testing (PAT) to prevent electrical fires caused by faulty appliances or overloaded sockets
- Separation between kitchen and dining areas
- The risks associated with certain cooking techniques, such as overheating oil, which can lead to fires
Fire safety equipment is essential in commercial kitchens to prevent and control fires. Regular maintenance, cleaning, and compliance with legal requirements such as fire doors and PAT testing are key to reducing fire risk.
Electrical Equipment
Bars rely heavily on electrical systems including refrigeration, lighting rigs, sound systems and POS equipment. Maintaining the electrical system and conducting regular portable appliance testing (PAT) are essential to prevent electrical fires. Electrical fires are a major risk in commercial kitchens and bars, often caused by faulty appliances and overloaded plug sockets.
Poor maintenance, overloaded circuits and ageing wiring increase risk. Regular testing of electricals and professional cleaning of kitchen ducts are recommended preventive measures against fire hazards.
Regular inspection and testing should be reflected in your fire risk assessment.
Storage Areas
Stockrooms often contain combustible materials including cardboard packaging, alcohol and cleaning chemicals. It is important to identify all fire hazards in these storage areas and implement appropriate measures to control these risks. The responsible person must assess all fire hazards on the premises and develop measures to eliminate or control them.
Poor housekeeping in back of house areas is a common enforcement issue.
Overcrowding and Event Nights
Busy evenings, private events and seasonal peaks create additional evacuation challenges.
Your fire risk assessment should account for:
- Maximum occupancy levels
- Staffing ratios, ensuring there are enough employees to assist in an emergency
- Emergency planning for full capacity scenarios, including an emergency plan that enables employees and customers to quickly evacuate and keep people safe
An effective emergency plan is required by law and must outline evacuation procedures, designate roles such as fire wardens, and explain how to protect vulnerable individuals during evacuation. Your restaurant’s emergency and evacuation plan should explain how to safely evacuate every person in your premises.
Fire Risk Assessments and Your Premises Licence
Fire safety compliance is closely linked to your licensing obligations. Hotel owners, food businesses, and drink premises must comply with fire safety regulations, including having a suitable fire alarm system in place.
Local authorities and fire and rescue services can request sight of your fire risk assessment. If deficiencies are identified, this may impact your licence conditions.
In serious cases, authorities can prohibit use of the premises until improvements are made.
Ensuring your fire risk assessment is up to date protects not only safety but also your ability to trade.
The Avon Fire and Rescue Service provides specific safety guidance for restaurants, cafés, and takeaways in Bristol.
How Often Should a Restaurant or Bar Fire Risk Assessment Be Reviewed?
There is no fixed expiry date. However, it must be reviewed regularly and particularly when:
- You refurbish or alter the layout
- You change cooking equipment
- Occupancy levels increase
- There is a near miss or fire incident
- Enforcement guidance changes
- Changes in staff or management
Hospitality venues often evolve quickly, which means assessments can become outdated faster than in other sectors.
Common Failings in Hospitality Fire Risk Assessments
In our experience, typical weaknesses include:
- Generic reports not tailored to kitchen operations
- Inadequate attention to extraction systems
- Poor documentation of staff training
- No clear action plan or prioritisation
- Failure to review following refurbishment
- Not conducting regular fire drills at least every six months, or failing to ensure all staff are trained in fire safety protocols
These gaps can expose owners and directors to significant personal liability.
Seeking practical advice and guidance, such as using safety data sheets that provide advice on handling and storing hazardous substances, can help avoid these common failings in your fire risk assessment for restaurant.
Can You Complete Your Own Fire Risk Assessment?
Legally, you may carry out your own assessment if you are competent.
However, hospitality premises present layered and dynamic risks. Understanding fire behaviour in commercial kitchens, compartmentation standards and evacuation modelling requires specialist knowledge. For example, a restaurant must conduct a mandatory 5-step fire risk assessment process to comply with regulations.
For most bars and restaurants, appointing a competent fire risk assessor provides greater reassurance and defensibility. Seeking practical advice or professional guidance can help ensure you meet all legal requirements and receive more detail on how to manage fire safety effectively. Many assessors also provide advice and practical advice tailored to your premises, making compliance easier to achieve.
Protecting Your Staff, Customers and Reputation
A well conducted fire risk assessment is about safeguarding lives, protecting your licence and ensuring business continuity. Fire safety training for all employees is essential to help them recognise fire safety risks and implement appropriate safety measures.
Regular fire safety training, including the correct use of fire safety equipment such as extinguishers and fire blankets, ensures that staff understand their roles in emergencies and helps keep people safe. Effective fire safety training can significantly reduce fire-related injuries and fatalities in restaurants. Installing interlinked fire alarms and appropriate fire extinguishers is also essential to minimise fire risks and protect both employees and customers.
Hospitality environments are vibrant and social by nature. That makes robust fire safety planning even more critical.
If you operate a bar, restaurant or hospitality venue and would like to review your fire risk assessment or discuss your legal responsibilities, our team is here to help. Contact us today.