The industrial risk anatomy.
Fire load and racking
Palletised goods, packaging and plastics create fire loads measured in tonnes; rack flues accelerate vertical spread beyond any first-aid firefighting within minutes. The assessment examines storage height against detection and any sprinkler design basis, aisle discipline, separation from ignition sources, and the commodity mix — a unit that switched from metal parts to plastics or aerosols has changed its risk category without changing its appearance, which is a classic review trigger.
Ignition sources that recur in findings
- Battery charging — forklift bays and, increasingly, lithium-ion for MHE and last-mile fleets: dedicated, detected, ventilated charging areas away from racking, with damaged-battery quarantine.
- Hot works — the single most common cause of major industrial fires; permit-to-work systems with fire watch periods are checked, not assumed.
- Electrical plant — conveyors, compressors, panel rooms; EICR currency and thermographic survey history where fitted.
- Vehicles inside the envelope — refuelling, charging and parking policy.
- Arson — external pallet stacks and bins against the cladding are a standing invitation; the assessment sets stand-off distances and boundary security.
Escape across big floorplates.
| Issue | What the assessor checks |
|---|---|
| Travel distances | Against guidance limits for the risk level, measured along real routes between racking — not as the crow flies |
| Exit availability | Perimeter doors operable, unobstructed inside and out, not blocked by trailers or stock |
| Alarm audibility/visibility | BS 5839-1 coverage in high-noise areas; VADs where hearing protection is worn |
| Mezzanines | Escape provision, structure protection and detection under and over |
| Lone and night workers | Detection strategy and procedures where staffing is thin |
Interfaces the assessment must acknowledge
DSEAR — flammable liquids, gases, dusts and aerosols engage the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002; the fire risk assessment records the interface and the zoning outcomes rather than replacing them. Sprinklers — where fitted, the system's design commodity and storage height assumptions must match current use; where not, the assessment weighs the business-continuity argument insurers will press anyway. Environmental permits — waste and recycling sites carry fire prevention plan obligations that sit alongside the Order.