FIRE SAFETY: New Standards for Fire Risk Assessments and Assessor Competence

The British Standards Institute (BSI) will publish BS 9792, a new Code of Practice on Fire Risk Assessments for Housing on 1 August this year, and at the end of August it will also release BS 8674, a new Code of Practice for the competence of individual fire risk assessors.

BS 9792:2025 Fire Risk Assessment – Housing – Code of Practice:

Following a request from the housing sector in 2020, BSI produced PAS 79-2 to provide provisions relating to the fire risk assessment of housing. However, following the Grenfell tragedy, the fire risk assessment landscape has evolved rapidly. This, alongside identified shortcomings within PAS 79-2, has led the national committee FSH/14 to develop BS 9792. 

Intended to supersede PAS 79-2, which was withdrawn in 2021, BS 9792 will provide recommendations and examples of documentation for the undertaking and recording of fire risk assessments related to housing.

This new British Standard incorporates feedback received since the publication of the PAS, changes in legislation, other standards published or in development, Grenfell Tower Inquiry discussions, and updated thinking around approach, language, and terminology.

BS 9792 will provide an annexe which contains guidance to inform the ‘person-centred’ element of person-centred fire risk assessments (PCFRAs). Specifically, it will contain information on:

• people with specific evacuation requirements.
• people whose characteristics could potentially inform their approach to evacuation or their response in an emergency situation.
• examples of additional fire protection measures that might be in place or suitable for people with certain characteristics - broken down by whether user characteristics are likely to be permanent or temporary, and whether the person may use a mobility aid.

BS 8674 Built Environment - Framework for competence of individual fire risk assessors - Code of practice:

In further support of fire risk assessments, BSI is also developing a new standard on the competence of Fire Risk Assessors. BS 8674 builds upon the success of the BS 867X series by establishing the competence (skill, knowledge, experience and behaviours) individuals undertaking general fire risk assessments must attain. 

This standard is being written by CPB/1 with both PAS 79-1 and BS 9792 in mind, making it suitable for assessment of a range of building types.