When Routine Reviews Miss Real Risk

Compiled By: Schalk W. Lubbe

Routine is the enemy of improvement. That may sound harsh, but it’s true — especially when it comes to fire safety in large and complex organisations.

I see it often: the same forms, the same checks, the same reports recycled year after year. And everyone feels safe because the paperwork says so. But then an insurer comes in — or worse, an incident occurs — and we find out that critical risks went unnoticed.

Fire risk is not static. It moves with your business. That’s why the most dangerous assumption any leadership team can make is that “what we did last year is still good enough today.”

Why Routine Reviews Don’t Tell the Whole Story

Routine fire reviews are good for catching obvious issues. But they’re not built to interrogate complex risk — the kind that comes from evolving layouts, expanded operations, or reliance on ageing infrastructure.

Some of the most common issues we identify:

• Fire compartments compromised by retrofitted services or minor renovations

• Storage practices that create high fire loads in low-priority areas

• Staff with outdated training or unclear roles in emergency procedures

• Fire detection systems that were compliant once, but no longer meet performance needs

These aren’t failures of diligence — they’re natural consequences of a growing organisation. But they need to be addressed proactively if you want to stay ahead of the risk curve.

Bringing an Independent Lens to the Conversation

As an external partner, our role isn’t to catch people out — it’s to help you see what internal teams may have missed. That objectivity is essential, especially when you need to demonstrate to insurers that you’re taking a structured, professional approach to risk.

At Collaborisk, we evaluate fire risk in the context of business reality — not just compliance. That means understanding:

• How buildings are used, not just how they’re zoned on paper

• How your fire strategy connects to business continuity planning

• What your insurers care about — and what they’re likely to ask

With this approach, we often uncover quick wins that improve both safety and insurance positioning — and in some cases, prevent significant exposure.

Turning Review Into Readiness

Every fire safety review should deliver two things: clarity and action. Our goal is to help clients close the gap between risk perception and risk reality — and then translate that into decisions the business can take.

That’s how we move from reactive to proactive. From compliance to confidence.