Fire Safety Regulations
New Fire Safety Legislation
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) came into force on October 1st 2006 and made the most sweeping changes to fire safety legislation and the way fire safety is enforced, for over 30 years.
The Fire Safety Order
The order replaces previous fire safety legislation. Any fire certificate issued under the Fire Precautions Act 1971 will cease to have any effect. If a fire certificate has been issued in respect of your premises or if the premises were built to recent building regulations, as long as you have made no material alterations and all the physical fire precautions have been properly maintained, then it is unlikely you will need to make any significant improvements to your existing physical fire protection arrangements to comply with the order.
However, you must still carry out a Fire Risk Assessment and keep it up to date to ensure that all the fire precautions in your premises remain current and adequate.
If you have previously carried out a fire risk assessment under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997, as amended 1999, and this assessment has been regularly reviewed, then all you will need to do is revise that assessment taking account of the wider scope of the RRO.
The order applies in England and Wales. It covers general fire precautions and other fire safety duties, which are needed to protect ‘relevant persons’ in case of fire in and around most ‘premises’. The order requires fire precautions to be put in place ‘where necessary’ Responsibility for complying with the order rests with the ‘responsible person’.(an appropriately trained person or third party consultant)
If you are the responsible person you must carry out a Fire Risk Assessment.
If your organisation employs five or more people, your premises are licensed or an alterations notice is in force, you must record the Significant Findings.
Failure to comply with regulations made under article 24 which places persons at risk of death or serious injury, carries an UNLIMITED FINE, 2 YEARS IMPRISONMENT or both!
The Local Fire & Rescue Service enforce the order.
They have the power to inspect your premises and look for evidence that you have carried out a suitable Risk Assessment and acted on the significant findings.
If they are dissatisfied with the outcome they may issue an enforcement notice or in serious cases a prohibition notice which could prevent your premises from being used until improvements have been made.
Failure to comply with any duty imposed by the order or any notice issued by the enforcing authority, is an offence.
Note:
The Fire Service are unable to conduct the Fire Risk Assessment for you as they are the Enforcing Authority.
See our F.A.Q. page for more information
