The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was approved by Parliament on 7 June 2005 and came into force in October 2006.
It replaces all previous existing fire safety legislation and will have an impact on all employers, owners, occupiers and self-employed businesses. There are very few exceptions from having to comply with the new regulations.
It applies in England and Wales, with Northern Ireland and Scotland having their own laws. 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 and as far as is reasonable and practicable in the circumstances of the case. Responsibility for complying with the Fire Safety Order rests with the ‘responsible person’.
In a workplace, this is the employer and any other person who may have control of any part of the premises, e.g. the occupier or owner. In all other premises the person or people in control of the premises will be responsible. If there is more than one responsible person in any type of premises, all must take all reasonable steps to work with each other.
Your fire risk assessment will help you identify risks that can be removed or reduced and to decide the nature and extent of the general fire precautions you need to take to protect people against the fire risks that remain.
If you employ five or more people you must record the significant findings of the assessment
Further information, including guidance on how to carry out risk assessments and what you need to do to make your premises legally compliant can be found on the GOV.UK website.
