The responsibility for ensuring that a fire risk assessment has been completed by a competent person lies with the "Responsible Person." This individual or entity is legally required to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the fire risks in the premises. The Responsible Person is typically:
- The employer where the premises is a workplace,
- The person who has control of the premises (such as an occupier) if it is not a workplace,
- The owner of the premises if no one else has control in connection with a business or undertaking.
While the Responsible Person must ensure the assessment is done, the actual fire risk assessment must be conducted by a "competent person"—someone with the necessary knowledge, training, and experience to carry out the assessment effectively. In short, the Responsible Person ensures the completion and review of the fire risk assessment, but the assessment itself must be performed by a competent person.