BlueSafe
Fire Prevention Risk Assessment

Fire Prevention Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Fire Prevention Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational fire risks across governance, planning, systems and operations with this comprehensive Fire Prevention Risk Assessment tailored for management-level decision making. Use it to demonstrate WHS Risk Management and Due Diligence under the WHS Act while reducing operational liability and strengthening your fire safety compliance framework.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • Governance, Policy and Legal Compliance: Assessment of board and senior management oversight, fire safety policy frameworks, allocation of responsibilities, and alignment with WHS and fire safety legislation.
  • Strategic Fire Risk Planning & Design Controls: Evaluation of fire risk assessment processes, building and layout design considerations, fire load analysis, and integration of fire safety into project planning and change management.
  • Fire Safety Systems, Engineering Controls and Maintenance: Management of fixed fire protection systems (sprinklers, hydrants, alarms), passive fire measures, inspection and testing programs, and lifecycle maintenance strategies.
  • Housekeeping, Storage and Hazardous Materials Management: Controls for combustible waste build-up, segregation of flammable and combustible liquids, storage design, ventilation, and ignition source management.
  • Electrical, Plant and Equipment Management: Assessment of electrical safety, hot work controls, plant layout, preventative maintenance, and equipment selection to minimise fire ignition and propagation risks.
  • Emergency Planning, Evacuation and Response Coordination: Development of emergency response plans, evacuation strategies, wardens and first response roles, interface with Fire and Rescue services, and drills and simulation exercises.
  • Training, Competency and Awareness: Determination of competency requirements, induction content, refresher training schedules, and communication strategies to ensure workers understand fire risks and controls.
  • Procurement, Contractor Management and Supply Chain: Integration of fire safety criteria into purchasing, contractor selection and management, service agreements, and supplier assurance processes.
  • Documentation, Records and Information Management: Systems for maintaining fire risk assessments, maintenance logs, training records, permits, and version-controlled procedures to support legal defensibility.
  • Monitoring, Audit, Consultation and Continuous Improvement: Establishment of KPIs, inspections, internal audits, incident review processes, and consultation mechanisms with workers and HSRs to continually improve fire prevention performance.
  • Business Continuity and Property Protection: Consideration of asset criticality, redundancy, recovery planning, and insurance expectations in relation to fire prevention and mitigation strategies.
  • Interface with Tenants, Visitors and Public Areas: Management of shared fire safety responsibilities, common area risks, visitor information, and controls for public-facing spaces.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, PCBU representatives, Safety Managers, Facility Managers and Fire Safety Officers responsible for planning, implementing and reviewing organisational fire prevention and protection systems.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. Governance, Policy and Legal Compliance
  • • Absence of a formal fire prevention and protection policy aligned with WHS Act 2011 and relevant Australian Standards (e.g. AS 1851, AS 3745, AS 1670)
  • • Senior management not clearly accountable for fire safety and emergency planning outcomes
  • • Inadequate integration of fire prevention requirements into the Safety Management System (SMS)
  • • Failure to identify and comply with specific state/territory fire, building and essential services regulations
  • • No systematic review of fire-related incidents, near misses and audit findings at leadership level
2. Planning, Fire Risk Assessment and Design Controls
  • • Inadequate formal fire risk assessment covering all workplaces, shifts and activities
  • • Poor consideration of fire loads, ignition sources and occupancy types during facility design or refurbishment
  • • Lack of systematic evaluation of worst-case fire and evacuation scenarios, including vulnerable persons
  • • No structured process for assessing changes (e.g. new plant, layout changes, storage increases) for fire risk impact
  • • Insufficient engagement of competent fire engineers or specialists during design and major modifications
3. Fire Safety Systems, Engineering Controls and Maintenance
  • • Fire detection, alarm and suppression systems not designed to suit occupancy and fire load
  • • Failure of fire protection systems due to inadequate inspection, testing and maintenance
  • • Critical fire safety assets (sprinklers, hydrants, extinguishers, emergency lighting) not identified or not on a planned maintenance program
  • • Unreliable monitoring of fire systems (e.g. unmonitored panels, disabled alarms, bypassed valves)
  • • Poor documentation and record keeping for essential services maintenance and defects
4. Housekeeping, Storage and Hazardous Materials Management
  • • Accumulation of combustible waste, packaging and dust increasing fire load and spread
  • • Inappropriate storage of flammable and combustible liquids, gases and chemicals
  • • Obstructed fire doors, fire equipment, hydrants and hose reels due to poor housekeeping or storage practices
  • • Uncontrolled use and storage of hot work equipment, LPG cylinders and fuel
  • • Lack of system-level controls for contractor and tenant storage that increases site fire load
5. Electrical, Plant and Equipment Management
  • • Deteriorated, overloaded or non-compliant electrical installations causing ignition
  • • Portable appliances, extension leads and power boards used unsafely or without inspection regime
  • • Poorly maintained plant and machinery causing overheating, sparks or friction fires
  • • Lack of controls over battery charging areas (e.g. lithium-ion, forklifts) creating ignition and thermal runaway risks
  • • Inadequate control of contractors performing electrical or mechanical works that may affect fire risk
6. Emergency Planning, Evacuation and Response Coordination
  • • Lack of a current, site-specific emergency plan addressing fire scenarios and site characteristics
  • • Unclear roles and responsibilities for wardens, first responders and incident controllers
  • • Inadequate provision and maintenance of emergency exits, signage and lighting
  • • Insufficient drills and practical exercises to test and improve emergency procedures
  • • Poor coordination with emergency services leading to delays or confusion in response
7. Training, Competency and Awareness
  • • Workers, supervisors and managers not competent to recognise fire hazards and system-level controls
  • • Inadequate induction content on fire prevention, alarm systems and emergency procedures
  • • No formal training for wardens, first-attack fire fighting or fire equipment use where required by risk assessment
  • • Lack of ongoing refresher training leading to skill and awareness decay over time
  • • Inconsistent understanding of responsibilities across permanent staff, labour hire, contractors and visitors
8. Procurement, Contractor Management and Supply Chain
  • • Procurement decisions that do not consider fire load, flammability and ignition risks of materials, equipment and furnishings
  • • Engagement of contractors who lack appropriate fire safety competence or do not follow site procedures
  • • Supplied plant and equipment without appropriate fire protection features or documentation
  • • Poor control over outsourced activities (e.g. welding, roofing, refurbishment) that significantly increase fire risk
  • • Non-compliant or substandard fire protection system components introduced through purchasing
9. Documentation, Records and Information Management
  • • Inaccurate or outdated fire safety documentation leading to ineffective controls
  • • Loss of maintenance, inspection and training records required for demonstrating compliance
  • • Evacuation diagrams, site plans and hazardous material manifests not kept current
  • • Poor accessibility of critical fire safety information in an emergency
  • • Lack of change control for fire safety-related documents resulting in conflicting or obsolete instructions
10. Monitoring, Audit, Consultation and Continuous Improvement
  • • Failure to detect emerging fire risks due to inadequate monitoring and review processes
  • • Lack of worker consultation on fire hazards and effectiveness of controls
  • • Recurring fire-related near misses or alarms not investigated to root cause
  • • Audit findings or recommendations not actioned in a timely manner
  • • Complacency over time leading to erosion of fire safety culture and behaviours

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS 3745-2010 (Incorporating Amendments): Planning for emergencies in facilities
  • AS 1851-2012: Routine service of fire protection systems and equipment
  • AS 1670 Series: Fire detection, warning, control and intercom systems – System design, installation and commissioning
  • AS 2419.1: Fire hydrant installations – System design, installation and commissioning
  • AS 2118 Series: Automatic fire sprinkler systems – Design, installation and commissioning
  • AS 2444: Portable fire extinguishers and fire blankets – Selection and location
  • AS/NZS 3000: Electrical installations (Wiring Rules) – Electrical safety and fire ignition risk control
  • Safe Work Australia Codes of Practice: Including Managing the Work Environment and Facilities, Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace, and Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

$79.5

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