PAS 79-1 vs PAS 79-2 — Which Fire Risk Assessment Do You Need?
PAS 79 is the methodology behind virtually every UK fire risk assessment. Since 2020 it has split into two parts — one for non-domestic premises and one for housing. Here is what changed.
What PAS 79 is
PAS 79 is a Publicly Available Specification issued by BSI that sets out a methodology for carrying out a fire risk assessment. It is not a legal requirement, but it is the recognised methodology — referenced by Fire Authorities, insurers and the courts.
The 2020 split
Until 2020, PAS 79 was a single document. The 2020 revision split it into two:
- PAS 79-1:2020 — Fire risk assessment, Part 1: Premises other than housing — Code of practice
- PAS 79-2:2020 — Fire risk assessment, Part 2: Housing — Code of practice
This was driven by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry's recognition that domestic and non-domestic fire risk are fundamentally different problems.
When to use PAS 79-1
PAS 79-1 covers virtually all non-domestic premises:
- Offices, shops, restaurants and hotels
- Schools, universities and care homes
- Industrial and warehouse buildings
- Public assembly buildings
The methodology runs through a structured 9-step process from premises information to action plan.
When to use PAS 79-2
PAS 79-2 is specifically for the common parts of housing — meaning multi-occupied residential buildings (purpose-built blocks of flats, converted residential, HMOs). It is the appropriate methodology for an FRA on the common parts of a block of flats under the Fire Safety Order, supplemented by the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 requirements.
Critically, PAS 79-2 introduces structured guidance on:
- External walls (post-FSA 2021)
- Flat entrance doors
- Stay-Put vs Simultaneous Evacuation decisions
- The new "person-centred" risk pictures
Mixed-use buildings
For premises with both housing and non-domestic elements (e.g. shops on the ground floor with flats above), competent assessors will use both standards in parallel — PAS 79-1 for the commercial demise and PAS 79-2 for the residential common parts.
What your assessor should reference
Any FRA report you receive should explicitly state which version of PAS 79 was used as the methodology. If the report references only "PAS 79" without specifying -1 or -2, it is using a withdrawn document and is unlikely to be defensible.
All MetroFire FRAs are delivered to PAS 79-1 or PAS 79-2 (or both, for mixed-use), by NFRAR-registered assessors. Book yours.
