Getting the fire risk assessment done can feel like the finish line. It is not. The assessment is a diagnosis; the remedial works are the treatment. A report that sits in a drawer with its actions uncompleted leaves you exactly as exposed as if you had never had the assessment at all, and arguably more so, because you now have a written record of risks you knew about and did not address. This guide explains what to do once the report lands.
How to read your action plan
A competent fire risk assessment ends with an action plan: a list of the issues found and what needs to be done about each. A good action plan prioritises the actions, usually by risk, so you know what to tackle first. You will typically see something like:
- High priority or intolerable: issues that should be addressed urgently, for example a blocked escape route, a non-working alarm, or a failed fire door on an escape route.
- Medium priority: issues that need attention but are not immediately dangerous, for example missing signage or emergency lighting that does not cover the full route.
- Low priority or good practice: improvements that strengthen safety without being strictly required.
Work through the plan in priority order, record what you do, and keep the certificates. If anything in the plan is unclear, ask the assessor or your contractor to explain it before you commission work, so you are fixing the right thing.
The remedial works that commonly follow
Most action plans draw on a fairly consistent set of remedial works. The most common are below.
Fire alarm installation or upgrade
One of the most frequent findings is that the detection is inadequate for the building: too few detectors, the wrong category, or an ageing system that is no longer reliable. The fix is to install or upgrade the alarm to the right category and grade for the building under the relevant British Standard. Our guide to BS 5839-1 and BS 5839-6 explains how the standards differ between commercial and domestic settings, and the HMO fire alarm guide covers the grades for shared housing.
Emergency lighting
Assessments often find that escape routes would be unusable in a power cut. Emergency lighting, installed and tested to BS 5266, keeps the route to the exit lit if the mains fails. This is a common requirement in commercial premises and communal residential areas. See our security and emergency lighting page.
Electrical testing and certification
Electrical faults are a leading cause of fire. An assessment may flag that the fixed electrical installation needs testing, or that portable appliances need checking. The remedial work here is testing and certification, and any repairs that follow.
Fire doors and compartmentation
Fire doors that do not close properly, are damaged, or have gaps that are too large, will be flagged because they are the passive measure that holds a fire back. Remedial work ranges from adjusting and repairing doors to replacing them, and sealing gaps in walls and floors where services pass through.
Prioritising and budgeting
You do not have to do everything at once, but you do have to do the urgent items promptly and have a credible plan for the rest. A sensible approach is to complete all high-priority actions immediately, schedule the medium-priority items over the following weeks, and record target dates for the rest. Keeping a documented schedule of works, with dates and certificates, demonstrates that you are managing the risk, which is exactly what an enforcing authority or insurer wants to see.
The records that prove compliance
Modern fire safety expects a clear record. For each remedial action you should be able to show what was done, by whom, when, and to what standard. That means keeping commissioning and test certificates for alarm and lighting work, electrical certificates, and records of fire door works. Together with the assessment and its action plan, these form the evidence trail that shows the building is being managed safely.
Why one provider is simpler
The awkward part of the post-assessment phase is coordination. A typical action plan can touch the alarm system, the emergency lighting, the electrics and the fire doors, which can mean four different trades, four quotes, and four sets of paperwork to chase.
J&L Security removes that. We arrange the assessment through a fire risk assessor we work with who holds AIFSM, TMIFPO and NEBOSH, and then carry out the remedial works directly, across alarms (we are BAFE-accredited for fire alarm installation and maintenance), emergency lighting, electrical testing and fire doors, with the certification handled in one place. You deal with one company from the report through to a building that meets its action plan. See our fire risk assessments page and fire alarms page.
We cover Essex and Greater London. To turn an action plan into completed, certified work, call 0204 538 5925 or 0208 220 4770, or request a call back.