Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Fire risk assessments across Pembrokeshire

Shops, offices, pubs, holiday lets, HMOs, caravan parks and industrial units. Written by someone who walked the building, not generated from a template.

Based in Neyland. Most of the county is inside forty minutes, so you are not paying for a consultant to drive down from Cardiff.

The rule that caught a lot of people out

The five-employee exemption is gone. Since 1 October 2023, section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022 removed it in Wales. Every responsible person must now record the fire risk assessment in full, along with their fire safety arrangements, no matter how small the business.

If your last assessment was a tick sheet, or you have been relying on having fewer than five staff, you are behind. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service audit on that basis now, and the first many businesses hear about it is when an officer walks in.

Check whether this applies to you →

What you get

01

A recorded assessment

Written in full, as the law now requires. Hazards, people at risk, existing precautions, and what is left to deal with.

02

A numbered action plan

Ranked by priority with realistic timescales. You will know what to fix this week and what can wait for the winter.

03

Photographs

Of what we found, so the report makes sense to a manager who was not there and to an inspector two years later.

04

A straight conversation

We go through it with you. If something on the list is expensive, we will say whether it is genuinely necessary or whether there is a cheaper route that still complies.

Premises we assess

Holiday lets and cottages

Self-catering, glamping, shepherd's huts and annexes. The biggest growth area in the county and the one most often missing paperwork.

More on holiday accommodation →

Pubs, cafés and restaurants

Especially with letting rooms or staff accommodation above. Sleeping risk changes everything about the assessment.

Shops and offices

Including flats above shops, which is where responsibility gets muddled between owner and tenant.

HMOs and rented flats

Common parts, escape routes, fire doors and detection. Licensing officers ask for these.

Caravan and camping parks

Static units, touring pitches, amenity blocks, clubhouses and gas storage.

Workshops and industrial units

Withybush, Honeyborough, Thornton and the smaller estates. Where a fire assessment often needs a DSEAR assessment alongside it.

Where we work

Based in Neyland, covering the whole county. Pick your town for local detail:

Common questions

Do I legally need a fire risk assessment?

If you are an employer, a landlord, or you control any non-domestic premises in Wales, yes. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 makes it the responsible person's duty. Since 1 October 2023 you must also record the assessment in full, whatever the size of the business.

I only have two staff. Doesn't the five-employee rule exempt me?

Not any more. That threshold was removed in Wales on 1 October 2023 by section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022. A two-person café now has to record its assessment in full, exactly like a factory.

Does a holiday let need one?

Yes. Self-catering holiday accommodation is not a private dwelling, so it falls under the Fire Safety Order. Booking agencies and insurers increasingly ask to see the assessment before they will list or cover a property.

How often should it be reviewed?

When it is no longer valid, or when there has been a significant change. As a working benchmark, most Pembrokeshire premises get reviewed annually and reassessed properly every one to three years depending on the building and its use.

How long does a visit take?

A small shop, office or holiday cottage is usually an hour to ninety minutes. A pub with letting rooms, an HMO or a caravan park takes longer. You get the written assessment within five working days.

Who enforces it?

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service. They carry out audits and can issue enforcement or prohibition notices. Fines are unlimited in the Crown Court.

Book a fire risk assessment

Tell us the building and we will give you a price on the phone. Most assessments are booked within the week.