Fire Risk Assessments
In October 2006 major changes to Fire Precautions legislation occurred when the
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) came into force.
The Fire Precautions Act 1971 and other relevant legislation has been repealed and
Fire Certificates are no longer required, although the Fire Precautions imposed by a
Fire Certificate cannot be removed.
The move towards Self-Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
imposes certain defined duties on the management and staff of all commercial and
non-domestic premises, including those occupied by the self-employed and voluntary
sectors.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires that all non-domestic premises,
provides sufficient and satisfactory fire precautions are put in place to cover general
fire precautions and other fire safety duties. These are needed to protect relevant
persons in case of fire in and around most premises. The 'relevant persons' means anyone
who is legally on the premises or anyone who may be affected by the fire precautions on
the premises.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does impose the requirement for fire
precautions to be put in place, but specifically 'to the extent that it is reasonable
and practical in each individual case'
Responsibility for complying with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 rests
with the 'responsible person' who in the workplace generally is the employer but could
include anyone who may have control of any part of the premises and this could include
the Landlord.
The responsible person(s) must carry out or have carried out a Fire Risk Assessment
that should include for the structure of the premises, storage of dangerous materials
and persons at special risk such as the disabled and those with special needs. In the
case of those premises that have 5 or more persons who are likely to be affected by a
fire in the premises, the significant findings of the Fire Risk Assessment must be
written down.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is enforced by the Local Fire Authority
who have the authority to issue Improvement Notices and or take any appropriate action
that could include immediate closure, should the risk be substantial.
The Fire Brigade's role will be to inspect premises and if the regulations are found
to have been ignored or not implemented satisfactorily, they have the power to
prosecute under criminal law.
Contact us for an informal discussion on how we can be of help to you.
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