Fire safety for manufacturing
& production facilities.Properly assessed, from £295.
A manufacturing site carries hazards that simply do not exist in a warehouse or an office. Machinery, hot works, dust, flammable process fluids, and the interaction between them are the things that start serious industrial fires, and an assessment needs to understand those processes to be worth anything. We carry out fire risk assessments for manufacturing and production facilities across the North West, built around the processes and the hazards your site actually carries.
Who is the Responsible Person?
In a manufacturing business the duty is usually clear, sitting with the employer, but in a multi-occupancy site or a site with contractors it needs explicit management.
The employer is the Responsible Person and must ensure a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place for all parts of the premises, including production areas, plant rooms, chemical stores, and contractor working areas.
Where the site includes different production processes, each with its own hazards, the assessment needs to cover each process area individually rather than treating the site as a single risk.
Where contractors carry out hot works, maintenance, or installation on site, the employer remains responsible for the fire risk their activities create. Hot works permits, contractor induction, and fire watch arrangements are the employer's responsibility.
Where the manufacturing process involves flammable or explosive substances, DSEAR applies alongside the fire safety order, requiring a DSEAR assessment and hazardous zone classification.
The problems we
hear most often
Fire safety in a manufacturing site is often inherited by the EHS manager or site manager alongside a long list of other compliance obligations. These are the gaps we find most regularly.
"We use flammable solvents, adhesives, or process fluids, and we know DSEAR applies, but our fire risk assessment and our DSEAR assessment have never been properly aligned."
DSEAR and fire safety law are separate but closely related, and assessments that treat them in isolation miss the connection between a flammable atmosphere zone and the ignition sources that exist in the same area. We produce a fire risk assessment that aligns with your DSEAR assessment and covers the flammable substance risk as an integrated part of the picture, not as a separate document.
"We carry out welding, grinding, or other hot works on the production floor or in maintenance, and we have had near-misses. Our hot works system is informal and not consistently followed."
Hot works are one of the leading causes of serious industrial fires, and informal permit systems are where the risk lives. A permit that is signed but not checked, a fire watch that ends when the welder stops, smouldering material in a void behind a panel found hours later, these are the patterns behind real incidents. We assess your hot works arrangements as a specific part of the fire risk assessment and advise on a permit system that is practical enough to be followed every time.
"Our assessment was done when the site was in a different configuration. We have added a new production line, a paint booth, or a spray area, and the assessment has not been updated."
A manufacturing site that has added a new process has added new hazards, and the assessment needs to reflect that. A spray booth, a paint line, or a new chemical store is a material change that requires the assessment to be reviewed, not updated in a margin note. We assess the site as it currently exists, including every process and every material change.
What makes manufacturing
different to assess
A manufacturing site carries process hazards that an office or storage assessment never encounters. Understanding the processes is what makes the assessment worth having.
Welding, grinding & cutting
Hot works are one of the most common causes of serious industrial fires, from welding sparks igniting combustible dust in an extraction duct to grinding debris smouldering in insulation behind a panel. A rigorous hot works permit system, consistently followed, is the principal safeguard.
Solvents, adhesives & coatings
Many manufacturing processes use flammable solvents, adhesives, lubricants, or coating materials. Storage, decanting, and use all create flammable atmospheres, and DSEAR zone classification is required wherever those atmospheres can form.
Woodworking, grain & fine powders
Combustible dust is one of the most underestimated fire and explosion risks in manufacturing. Fine dust from woodworking, food processing, or powder coating can form explosive clouds and can also smoulder in extraction ducts and deposited layers. Dust management and extraction maintenance need specific attention.
Heat, sparks & friction
Manufacturing machinery generates heat, friction, and sometimes sparks, and a machine that develops a fault, runs dry, or accumulates combustible material in a guard can start a fire quickly. Machinery maintenance and the fire risk it creates when plant is in a degraded state need assessing.
Flammables, oxidisers & reactives
Most manufacturing sites store chemicals, from bulk solvents to packaging aerosols and cleaning products, and the storage, segregation, and ventilation of those chemicals is a specific fire risk that needs addressing in the assessment.
Unattended plant risk
Fires on manufacturing sites often start during shift changes, at weekends, or during planned shutdowns, when machinery is left in a state it would not be left in during full production. The procedures for safe plant shutdown and the arrangements for unattended periods need assessing alongside the production risk.
Hot works permits — the gap between having a system and following it
Hot works permits are only as good as the people who issue and check them. The most common pattern in industrial fires caused by hot works is not the absence of a permit system but a system that exists on paper and is not consistently followed in practice, where the fire watch ends when the welder stops rather than an hour later, where smouldering material in a void behind a panel is not found until long after the contractor has gone. We assess your hot works arrangements as a specific part of the fire risk assessment, covering the permit system, contractor induction, fire watch, and what happens after the work is done.
Three services.
One point of contact.
Fire risk assessments, fire door inspections, and fire safety training, delivered by one company that understands manufacturing processes and the hazards they create.
Fire risk assessments
From £295 per assessmentA thorough, process-specific assessment covering all production areas, plant rooms, chemical stores, and contractor working areas. DSEAR-aligned where relevant. Clear written report, prioritised action list, and documentation your EHS team can act on.
- All production areas and process hazards assessed
- Hot works arrangements and permit systems reviewed
- Flammable substances and DSEAR alignment covered
- Combustible dust and extraction systems addressed
- Chemical storage and segregation assessed
- Shift change, shutdown, and unattended plant risk covered
Fire door inspections
From £14 per doorManufacturing sites have fire doors protecting escape routes, plant rooms, chemical stores, and process areas. We inspect every component and give you a clear, photographed condition record for each door.
- Frame, leaf, intumescent seals, hinges & hardware
- Self-closing devices and smoke seals
- Process area, plant room, and final exit doors
- Photographic evidence per door
- Prioritised remedial recommendations
Fire safety training
From £395 per sessionPractical fire safety training for production staff, shift supervisors, maintenance teams, and fire marshals, focused on the manufacturing environment including hot works awareness and chemical fire response.
- Fire marshal training for shift supervisors and EHS team
- Hot works awareness for production and maintenance staff
- Chemical and flammable substance fire response
- Hands-on extinguisher use on a live fire
- Certificates issued to all attendees
The framework
manufacturers work within
A manufacturing site answers to the fire safety order, the HSE, and where flammable or explosive substances are used, to DSEAR as well.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to all non-domestic premises, including manufacturing and production facilities. The employer must carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment, implement the measures it identifies, and keep a written record. In a manufacturing context, suitable and sufficient means addressing the process hazards, the hot works, and the flammable substances, not a generic workplace template.
The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) apply wherever flammable liquids, gases, dusts, or other explosive atmospheres can form. DSEAR requires a specific risk assessment, the classification of hazardous zones, and control measures to eliminate or reduce the risk. The DSEAR assessment and the fire risk assessment need to be aligned, covering the same areas and the same substances.
The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and sector-specific guidance from the Health and Safety Executive also apply. The HSE inspects manufacturing premises and expects to see a current fire risk assessment as part of a broader safety management system. For certain high-hazard processes, additional regulations such as COMAH may also apply.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Always appliesThe core legislation. Requires a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for all non-domestic premises including manufacturing sites. Failure can result in unlimited fines or prohibition of the premises.
DSEAR 2002
Flammable & explosive substancesApplies wherever flammable liquids, gases, or combustible dust can form explosive atmospheres. Requires zone classification and control measures aligned with the fire risk assessment.
Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
From January 2023Requires Responsible Persons to record fire safety measures, provide information to relevant persons, and maintain records of checks and actions. Applies to manufacturing premises in England.
HSE inspection
Health & Safety ExecutiveThe HSE has powers to inspect manufacturing premises and enforce fire-related health and safety duties. A current, well-documented assessment aligned with DSEAR is part of demonstrating compliance.
Experience you can
put in a report.
Tim founded Fletcher Risk Management to bring genuine expertise and personal accountability to fire safety consultancy in the North West. With more than 30 years in the fire industry, he has assessed manufacturing and production facilities across the region, covering a wide range of processes and hazards, from hot works and flammable solvents to combustible dust and complex chemical storage. He understands that a manufacturing assessment is only useful if the assessor understands the processes. When you book with Fletcher Risk, Tim carries out the work.
- ABBE Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment
- NEBOSH National General Certificate
- FPA Fire Safety Management Certificate
- Member — Fire Protection Association
Sam oversees operations and documentation, so you have one point of contact and a consistent standard of reporting from first visit to final action log. For manufacturing groups with multiple production sites, that means consistent, DSEAR-aligned documentation and a single point of contact for the EHS team.
- ABBE Level 4 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- 10+ years fire safety experience
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites for a very important client. The work produced exceeded our expectations by far. I would definitely recommend using this company." — Marie Morgan · EIS Ltd ★★★★★
"Without doubt one of the best and most professional businesses I have used for our Fire Risk Assessment. Tim Fletcher is a highly regarded professional in his field. Don't take a chance — protect your staff, protect your building."
"We have engaged Fletcher Risk Management to carry out surveys on a number of our sites. I would never hesitate to send Tim — always professional, friendly and accommodating. The work exceeded our expectations."
"Thorough, professional, and excellent value. The report was clear and the action points prioritised in a way that made it easy to know exactly what to tackle first. Would recommend without hesitation."
Book an assessment
built for your processes.
Whether you need a fresh assessment, a review after a new process or production line has been added, or training for your production staff and fire marshals, we can help. Call us for an honest conversation with no obligation.