Aipedia: Fire risk assessors

AI reviews and updates of existing FRAs

Aipedia, by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-10-30

AI comparison tools can turn a revisit into an FRA review quickly, but they tend to carry last year's errors forward and miss changes the old report never mentioned. Article 9 requires the assessment to be kept up to date, especially after significant change.

Part of: AI in fire risk assessment

In short

Many FRAs are reviews rather than fresh assessments. AI tools now compare the new visit's notes and photos with the previous report, highlight differences and produce an updated version. That is efficient, but the starting point is assumed to be right, so any error in last year's report survives. Changes the tool was not prompted to look for, such as a change of use, altered partitions or a new occupant group, may not appear at all. Article 9 of the Fire Safety Order requires regular review to keep the assessment up to date, so a review that only confirms the old report may not meet that duty.

How AI-assisted reviews work

The assessor revisits the premises with last year's report loaded into the app. The tool pre-fills each section with the previous findings and asks the assessor to confirm, amend or close each one. AI may compare new photos with old ones to flag visible changes, and generate a summary of what has altered. Completed actions are marked off, outstanding ones carried forward, and a new review date is set. For a stable building with a good original assessment, this is a sensible approach.

The weakness is anchoring. When every field is already filled in, the path of least resistance is to confirm it, and the review becomes a check of last year's list rather than a fresh look at this year's building.

The duties that apply

Article 9(3) requires the responsible person to review the assessment regularly so as to keep it up to date, and particularly if there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change in the premises, the special, technical and organisational measures, or the organisation of the work. The review must be recorded. NFCC guidance makes clear duty holders keep responsibility whoever carries it out. An assessor engaged to do the review owes reasonable skill and care in doing so. See our fire safety risk assessment explainer.

What can go wrong

Review errors tend to fall into two groups: errors inherited and changes missed. Examples include:

an incorrect finding in the original report, such as a wrongly described alarm system, confirmed again;
a change of use, such as a store becoming a sleeping room, not noticed because the template had no field for it;
new partitions affecting travel distances, missed because the floor plan was carried forward;
actions marked complete on the client's word without checking;
a new occupant group, such as residents needing help to escape, not recorded.

Illustrative scenario: an assessor reviews the FRA for a small office building. The AI tool confirms last year's findings and the assessor closes the review quickly. Since the last visit, the ground floor has been let to a gym with late opening hours and new partitions. Neither change appears in the review. A fire in the gym exposes inadequate escape provision. The landlord argues the review should have identified the change of use; the assessor's report says the premises were unchanged.

How PI usually responds

A negligent review is treated in PI terms much like a negligent original assessment, subject to the wording. Two points are specific to reviews. First, where one assessor did both the original and the review, a claim may involve several reports over several years, raising questions about which policy year responds; PI is usually written on a claims-made basis. Second, if a different assessor wrote the original, there may be arguments about which report caused the loss. See PI for fire risk assessors and fire safety PI exposure.

Practical controls

The aim is a review that looks at the building first and the old report second. Controls that help:

Start each review with open questions about changes of use, layout, occupancy and management.
Re-verify a sample of previous findings rather than confirming them all.
Check actions marked complete against evidence before closing them.
Record what was re-inspected and what was carried forward.
Treat a significant change as a trigger for a fuller reassessment.

How Apex helps

Apex arranges PI for fire risk assessors. A broker can explain how a claim spanning several annual reviews would be handled under your policy.

Sources

Frequently asked

How often should a fire risk assessment be reviewed?

Article 9 requires regular review to keep the assessment up to date, and in particular when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or there has been a significant change. The Order does not set a fixed interval, so the frequency depends on the premises and the risk.

Is it acceptable to update last year's FRA rather than start again?

Yes, if the review genuinely checks the current building. The risk with AI pre-filled reviews is confirming old findings without re-inspecting. Where there has been a significant change, a fuller reassessment is usually more appropriate.

Can AI photo comparison spot changes between visits?

It can flag visible differences, such as new signage or blocked routes, if photos are taken from similar positions. It will not notice changes outside the frame, or changes of use and occupancy, so the assessor still needs to ask and look.

Am I liable for errors in an FRA I only reviewed?

You may be, if a competent reviewer should have spotted them. Confirming an existing finding in your review can make it your finding. Record what you re-inspected and what you relied on from the earlier report.

Check your PI covers how you use AI

Tell us about your firm and the work you do. A broker will review how your current PI treats AI-assisted work, or arrange new cover. No fee for a quote. Or call 0117 325 0027.

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Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales, company number 07014570. This page is general information about how AI is used in the profession and how insurance may respond. It is not legal, regulatory or insurance advice on your circumstances, and it does not guarantee that cover will be available or on what terms.