Fire Risk Assessment Template for Scotland

Fire risk assessments in Scotland operate under different legislation from England and Wales. If you are an assessor working north of the border — or a responsible person managing premises in Scotland — you need to know where the frameworks diverge.

This guide covers the key differences and provides a template adapted for Scottish requirements. If you work in England and Wales, see our standard PAS 79 template instead. For the broader assessor-decision framing behind the template — Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, SFRS enforcement, Scottish HMO licensing differences, and how to quote Scottish work — see our companion post fire risk assessment in Scotland: an assessor's guide.

Scottish Legislation: How It Differs

Fire (Scotland) Act 2005

The primary legislation in Scotland is the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006. This replaces the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which applies only to England and Wales.

Key differences:

• Terminology. The Scottish framework uses "duty holder" rather than "responsible person." The duties are broadly equivalent.
• Scope. The Fire (Scotland) Act applies to all premises except single private dwellings. It covers common areas of residential buildings, commercial premises, and workplaces — similar to the Fire Safety Order.
• Enforcing authority. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) enforces fire safety legislation in Scotland, rather than individual fire and rescue services.
• Record keeping. In Scotland the fire safety risk assessment must be recorded where the premises has 5 or more employees, where a licence or registration is required for the premises, or where an alterations notice requires it. (In England and Wales the equivalent threshold was removed on 1 October 2023 by Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022, which made recording mandatory in all circumstances — so the two regimes now differ on this point.)

Housing (Scotland) Act 2006

For HMOs in Scotland, the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and associated licensing conditions apply. The licensing regime is different from England — in Scotland, any property occupied by 3 or more people from 2 or more families is an HMO, regardless of storeys.

Building (Scotland) Regulations

Scottish building regulations (Technical Handbooks) differ from Approved Document B used in England and Wales. The fire safety provisions are in the Domestic and Non-Domestic Technical Handbooks, Section 2 (Fire).

What Stays the Same

Despite legislative differences, the practical methodology for fire risk assessment is broadly consistent:

• PAS 79:2020 applies across the UK. BSI's recommended methodology is not jurisdiction-specific. Scottish assessors should follow the same 10-section structure.
• Risk evaluation methodology (likelihood x consequence) is the same.
• Standards for fire detection (BS 5839), emergency lighting (BS 5266), and fire doors (BS 476 / BS EN 1634) apply UK-wide.
• Competence expectations for assessors are equivalent.

Scotland-Specific Template Adjustments

When adapting a fire risk assessment template for Scottish premises, make these changes:

Section 2: Applicable Legislation

Replace references to the Fire Safety Order with:

• Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
• Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006
• For HMOs: Housing (Scotland) Act 2006
• Building (Scotland) Regulations (Technical Handbooks, Section 2)
• For workplaces: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Section 5: Management of Fire Safety

Scottish legislation requires the duty holder to prepare a fire safety plan. While England and Wales refer to a "fire safety policy," the Scottish requirement is more prescriptive about what the plan must include.

Enforcing Authority References

Replace references to "the local fire and rescue authority" with "the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service" where applicable.

Building Regulations References

If your assessment references building regulations compliance (e.g., for escape route design or compartmentation), reference the Scottish Technical Handbooks rather than Approved Document B.

Common Pitfalls for Assessors Working Across Both Jurisdictions

Mixing legislation references. If you work in both Scotland and England, maintain separate templates. Do not cite the Fire Safety Order in a Scottish assessment or the Fire (Scotland) Act in an English one.

HMO definitions differ. A property with 3 unrelated occupants is an HMO in Scotland but may not fall within England's mandatory licensing (which requires 5+ people from 2+ separate households — the Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Prescribed Description) (England) Order 2018 removed the old 3-storey threshold, so storey count is no longer part of the England mandatory test; additional licensing schemes vary by council).

Detection standards. While BS 5839 applies across the UK, Scottish building regulations may specify different minimum detection grades for certain building types compared to English Approved Document B guidance.

Summary

Scottish fire risk assessments follow the same PAS 79:2020 methodology but under different primary legislation. Adapt your templates to reference the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, use the correct terminology (duty holder, not responsible person), and reference Scottish building regulations.

For the standard England and Wales template, see our free fire risk assessment template. For guidance on structuring any PAS 79 assessment, see our PAS 79 guide.

AssessKit structures fire risk assessments to PAS 79-1:2020 and BS 9792:2025; assessors working in Scotland adapt the legislative references to the Scottish framework. Start free to try it.

Sources

• Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 — UK Legislation
• Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 — UK Legislation
• PAS 79:2020 — BSI
• Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks — Scottish Government