A weekly fire safety checklist for a small shop

Start at the exits

• Walk every exit route from the shop floor to the outside and check it is clear and the doors open easily from the inside.
• Check that deliveries, bins or stock are not sitting in front of rear doors.
• If you have security shutters or grilles, check they can be released from inside while people are in the building.

Check the shop floor

• Displays, racks and promotional stands should leave routes to exits and fire doors clear.
• Fire doors should close fully on their own and not be wedged open.
• Extinguishers should be in place, with the pin and seal intact, and not hidden behind stock.
• Exit signs and emergency lighting indicators should be visible and lit.

Look in the stockroom and staff areas

• Shelves should not be overloaded, and stock should be kept away from lights, heaters and electrical panels.
• Cardboard and packaging should be flattened and removed regularly, not stored by exits.
• Kettles, heaters and chargers in staff areas should be switched off when not in use.
• Changing rooms should be free of clutter and rubbish.

Test the alarm

If you have a fire alarm, test one call point each week, using a different one each time, and check you can hear it in every part of the shop including the stockroom. Write down the call point and the result.

Write it down

Record the date, who did the check, anything that failed and what you did about it. A dated record shows an inspector or insurer that you check regularly, and it makes it easy to spot repeat problems such as a rear door that keeps getting blocked.