The office risk profile.
- Ignition: the fixed electrical installation (EICR currency is checked), IT and server rooms, kitchen appliances, portable heaters, overloaded extension leads, and the fastest-growing item on assessors' lists — lithium-ion charging of e-bikes and scooters brought into the building.
- Fuel: paper storage and archives, packaging, furniture, waste accumulation, and refurbishment materials during fit-outs.
- People: employees, visitors and contractors; hybrid patterns that leave floors sparsely occupied; anyone requiring a PEEP — a duty employers frequently miss for staff with temporary impairments.
What assessments find in offices.
| Finding | Frequency | Typical action |
|---|---|---|
| Fire doors wedged open / self-closers disconnected | Very common | Release, repair; hold-open devices linked to the alarm where operationally needed |
| Storage in escape routes and stair lobbies | Very common | Clear and enforce through housekeeping regime |
| Daisy-chained extension leads, blocked sockets | Very common | Electrical management policy; additional outlets |
| Out-of-date evacuation lists and fire wardens | Common post-hybrid | Re-appoint and train wardens for actual occupancy patterns |
| No PEEPs for staff needing assistance | Common | Individual plans; refuge and evac-chair training |
| Untested emergency lighting | Common | Monthly function tests instituted and logged |
Multi-tenant buildings: the coordination duty
In a multi-let office building, each employer is responsible for their demise and the landlord or managing agent for the common parts — multiple responsible persons with a statutory duty to cooperate, now formalised by Section 156. The building's alarm strategy, evacuation procedure and assembly arrangements must join up: an assessor will ask for the landlord's common-parts assessment and evidence of information exchange, not just the tenant's own document.
Hybrid working changed the assessment
Reduced and irregular occupancy cuts some risks and creates others: fewer trained people present to respond, warden rosters that assume full attendance, out-of-hours lone working, and floors closed off with detection isolated. A pre-2020 assessment that has not been reviewed against current occupancy is unlikely to remain valid.