Fire Safety Legislation

Fires occurring in the workplace can lead to loss of life, serious injury and serious financial consequences resulting in businesses ceasing to trade, loss of vital information and smoke/water damage. Since December 1997 it has been a legal requirement for all workplaces to have a full fire risk assessment. This principle of fire risk assessment has been carried forward into new fire safety legislation known as the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order is a new piece of fire protection legislation that significantly changed fire safety law and practice. It places the onus of responsibility squarely on the responsible person. This may be an employer, landlord or any person who has to any extent control over the building. This new fire legislation also includes those who are self-employed.

With this new fire legislation in place, there is now a greater emphasis on fire protection. As of October 2006, Fire Certificates are no longer a requirement and subsequently no longer have any legal status.

What does The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 mean to me?

Responsibility for complying with the new fire safety legislation rest with the “responsible person”. For a workplace, this will be the employer or any other person who may have control of any part of the workplace, for example, the owner or occupier.

Under the new fire legislation, the responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment and take reasonable steps to remove or reduce the risk.

The responsible person must provide a suitable and sufficient level of fire precautions. These should include:

• Appropriate measures to reduce the risk of fire
• Appropriate measures that will limit the spread of fire
• Appropriate measures of detection and giving warning in case of fire
• Appropriate measures to ensure that means of escape can be effectively used at all time
• Appropriate portable fire extinguishers for the risk identified in means of fire fighting
• Appropriate signs and notices to enable persons to escape safely
• Ensuring persons understand the action to be taken in the event of fire on the premises, including:
• • Instruction and training of staff
  • Measures to lessen the effects of fire

If you employ 5 or more people you must carry out and record the findings of fire risk assessment to comply with the new fire legislation.

What does the Responsible Person have to do?

The Responsible Person is responsible for the safety of employees and relevant persons by effectively managing:

• Fire Risk Assessment
• Fire Safety Policy
• Fire Procedures
• Fire Drills
• Means of Escape
• Emergency Lighting
• Fire Alarms and Fire Extinguishers
• Fire Doors and Compartmentation
• Fire Evacuations
• Signs and Notices
• Fire Training Courses

How can we help?

We carry out fire risk assessments on any type of property to comply with the new fire legislation and fire safety in the workplace.

The service includes a user-friendly report so that you can understand any fire safety issues that require to be dealt with together in their priority order.

Details of our other services such as our fire training courses and general consultancy and advice can be found throughout our website.