Should Health and Safety Consultants Rethink How They Handle Fire Risk Assessment?

For many health and safety consultants, the fire risk assessment has existed just outside the centre of their professional offer. It is close enough to matter, but far enough away to be treated as something separate. Often it is referred out to a trusted contact, subcontracted when required, or addressed only when a client explicitly asks for it. For years, this probably felt proportionate, but the regulatory environment has now changed, and the legal and reputational consequences of getting fire safety advice wrong have become more serious. What once felt like a sensible division of responsibility now deserves a second look, not because anyone has done anything wrong, but because the context in which we all operate is no longer the same. The question we would like to ask you - does the way your fire safety offer is handled in your business still makes sense? We believe a better alternative exists, but we will come to that later.

Fire Safety After Grenfell Feels Different, Because It Is

Since Grenfell, fire safety regulation has changed. Even when a building does not fall neatly into the category of higher risk residential, the principles that emerged from Grenfell have reshaped expectations across the board. Competence is scrutinised more closely. Decision making is expected to be defensible. The role of the Responsible Person is better understood, and enforcement bodies are more confident in asking difficult questions and taking action when required.

Fire risk assessments are no longer viewed as static documents that sit on a shelf for years. They are now seen as living evidence of how seriously an organisation takes its responsibilities. They are expected to reflect how a building is actually used, how people really behave, and how risks change over time. When legislation or guidance evolves, or enforcement priorities sharpen, how confident are you that the fire safety element of your client’s arrangements still stands up? And perhaps most importantly, if a client looks to you for reassurance, are you fully comfortable with the answer you give?

Benefits of Parterning with a Professional Fire Risk Consultancy

Fire risk assessment has become a more complex and specialist discipline. It now requires oversight, up-to-date technical knowledge, and an understanding of how guidance, enforcement practice and building use intersect. A professional fire risk assessment provider brings depth and resilience that can be difficult to replicate through informal arrangements with individual self-employed assessors. The work of a professional fire risk assessment company is supported by governance, peer review and continuous professional development, helping to ensure advice remains current, consistent and defensible.

For health and safety consultants, this shift can be a positive one. Partnering with a dedicated fire risk assessment organisation like Fletcher Risk Mangement allows you to remain in control of your client relationship while strengthening the technical foundation beneath your advice. It reduces reliance on individual capability and replaces it with a system built around shared standards, accountability and collective expertise. That, in turn, strengthens your own professional position when advising clients or responding to scrutiny.

Many health and safety consultants are now re-evaluating whether the arrangements that worked in the past still serve them well today. As expectations continue to rise, the question becomes less about loyalty or convenience, and more about confidence — confidence that the fire safety advice underpinning your work is robust, current and able to stand up to challenge. In that context, working with a professional fire risk assessment partner is not a criticism of what came before, but a natural evolution towards a more resilient and future-proof approach.

How Fletcher Risk Management Supports Health and Safety Consultants

At Fletcher Risk Management, we work for numerous health and safety consultants. We bring specialist fire safety expertise into their client relationships in a way that strengthens their position rather than complicating it. We focus on clear, defensible fire risk assessments that reflect real world conditions. We engage constructively with dutyholders, contractors, and enforcing authorities. We understand the pressures health and safety consultants face and the importance of consistency, professionalism, and trust. Whether operating directly with clients or as part of a wider safety programme, our aim is always the same - to make fire safety feel coherent, proportionate, and properly thought through. We are particularly keen to develop partnerships across the North West and North Wales, where local knowledge and long term relationships genuinely matter.

What to do next?

If you are a health and safety consultant working in the North West or North Wales, we would welcome a conversation. Please get in touch with Fletcher Risk Management to explore whether working together makes sense. No obligation. No pressure. Just a professional discussion about how fire safety can be delivered in a way that supports your clients, and reflects the reality of the world we are now operating in.

Disclaimer

This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Fire safety duties and responsibilities vary depending on building type, occupancy, and use. Health and safety consultants and dutyholders should always seek competent, project specific advice before making decisions relating to fire safety compliance or risk management.

(C) Fletcher Risk Team - 14 January 2026