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📋 Toolbox Talk  ·  Health & Safety

Fire Safety:
Everyone's Responsibility

Fire risk assessments, evacuation procedures, extinguisher types, the role of the responsible person and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

✅ Verified August 2026📚 HSE · RR(FS)O 2005🇬🇧 England, Scotland and Walesukworkrights.co.uk

In Northern Ireland, similar duties come from Northern Ireland's own health and safety law. Contact HSENI (Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland), not the HSE.

The law

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

  • The Responsible Person (employer, owner or occupier) must carry out a fire risk assessment and act on it
  • Must put in place appropriate fire safety measures — detection, warning, escape routes, firefighting equipment
  • Must ensure all employees receive fire safety information and training
  • Must review the fire risk assessment regularly and after any significant change
  • Fire risk assessments for premises with 5+ employees must be recorded in writing
  • In 2023/24, there were 22,000+ fires in non-domestic premises in England (NFRS data)

⚠ Non-compliance

Failure to comply with the RRO can result in prosecution, unlimited fines and imprisonment of the Responsible Person.
Extinguishers

Fire extinguisher types — use the right one

Type (colour)Use onNever use on
Water (red)Wood, paper, textilesElectrical, flammable liquids
Foam (cream)Flammable liquids, solidsElectrical equipment
CO₂ (black)Electrical, flammable liquidsCooking oil
Powder (blue)Most fires — multi-purposeEnclosed spaces (hazardous)
Wet chemical (yellow)Cooking oils (Class F)Electrical (unless rated)

⚠ Key rule

Never fight a fire if it means putting yourself at risk. Sound the alarm, evacuate, call 999. Extinguishers are for small, contained fires in the escape path only.
In an emergency

What to do if a fire breaks out

1
Raise the alarm immediately

Use the nearest break-glass call point or shout "FIRE". Do not assume someone else has done it.

2
Evacuate — do not use lifts

Leave by the nearest safe exit. Close doors behind you — this limits fire spread. Do not stop to collect belongings.

3
Go to the assembly point

Do not re-enter the building for any reason. Report to the fire warden so they can account for everyone.

4
Call 999

If not already called. Give your location, the building name and what is on fire. Stay on the line.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

How often should fire drills take place?
At least once a year — more frequently in higher-risk premises or where staff turnover is high. The results must be recorded. A drill that goes badly is valuable — it shows what needs to improve.
What if I have mobility difficulties and cannot use the stairs?
Your employer must have a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) for you. This should identify the evacuation route, any assistance needed and refuge points. Ask your employer if you don't have one.
Can I be fined for propping fire doors open?
Fire doors must never be propped open as they are designed to contain fire and smoke. Doing so could constitute a breach of the RRO — with serious consequences for the Responsible Person and potential criminal liability.
Do all premises need a fire risk assessment?
Yes — the RRO applies to virtually all non-domestic premises including offices, shops, warehouses, schools, care homes and communal areas of residential buildings. Domestic homes are not covered.
For whoever runs this talk

Delivery notes & attendance record

Suggested length: 10 minutes. A toolbox talk is a short briefing on one hazard, given by a supervisor to the crew doing the work.

Before you start

Walk the route if you can. Ask who the fire marshals are — if nobody can name them, that is your finding for the day.

Questions to ask the team
  1. Where is your nearest fire exit, and your second nearest if that one is blocked?
  2. Who are our fire marshals and how would you recognise them?
  3. Where is the assembly point, and who checks everyone is out?
  4. Is anything currently blocking an exit route or a fire door?
The law behind this talk

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (arts. 8–22); Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 s.2(2)(c)

Employers must give workers comprehensible information, instruction and training on the risks they face — Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 s.2(2)(c) and Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 reg. 10. Keep the record below as evidence that you did.

Attendance record
TopicFire Safety: Everyone's Responsibility
Date
Site / location
Delivered by
Actions agreed
Next talk due
Attendees
NameSignature

Use the Print handout button to print this record. General guidance only, not legal advice. This toolbox talk is generic material and is not a substitute for a suitable and sufficient risk assessment by a competent person. Employers remain responsible for their duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Free H&S guidance

Fire Safety
free guidance

Get plain-English guidance on your rights and your employer's legal duties.

HSE Infoline
0300 003 1747
hse.gov.uk
ACAS
0300 123 1100
acas.org.uk
Citizens Advice
0800 144 8848
citizensadvice.org.uk
UK Work Rights
Fire Safety
ukworkrights.co.uk/toolbox-firesafety.html

General guidance only — not legal advice · Verified August 2026 · © UK Work Rights Ltd · Company No. 17228507 · ICO Registration No. ZC239465 · Registered office: 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ  ·  hello@ukworkrights.co.uk
Directed and published by Matt Thompson, founder
Content is produced with AI assistance and checked against primary sources including GOV.UK, ACAS and legislation.gov.uk before publication.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.