Sharing an office building in Chester? Your fire-risk-assessment discussion should include the spaces and arrangements you share with other occupiers. A concern at the boundary of your own unit can easily be missed when everyone assumes somebody else is dealing with it.
Government guidance says that where there is more than one responsible person, they must work together. Shared premises need coordinated fire-safety plans. Start by establishing the right contacts for your business, neighbouring occupiers and the landlord or managing agent.
Prepare a simple account of how your team uses the building. Include working hours, visiting clients, contractors and any areas used outside normal reception hours. Give this information to your competent fire-risk assessor and discuss which arrangements depend on another occupier or the building manager.
Walk through the shared parts during an agreed review. Note entrances, corridors, stairs and the route out of the building. Record questions about access, stored items or changes in layout for the people responsible; do not alter fire doors, locks or alarm settings yourself.
Ask how information moves between businesses. Who reports a fault in a shared area? Who tells occupiers about planned works or changes to an escape route? A named contact and an agreed reporting route are more useful than an assumption that a general email has reached everyone.
Include the emergency arrangements in the conversation. Check that the instructions given to your staff and visitors fit the building-wide plan, and ask how people who may need assistance are considered. Avoid creating a separate routine that conflicts with the arrangements for neighbouring units.
Keep a record of the actions agreed, the person handling each one and how completion will be confirmed. Revisit the discussion when occupiers, working hours or building use change. This preparation supports the assessment; it does not replace a suitable assessment of the premises.
Spicy Protect supports fire risk assessment enquiries in Chester and across the North West. To discuss your premises, call 0161 339 7072 or email hello@spicyprotect.com.