Fire Safety

Fire Safety

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) came into effect on 1 October 2006. The RRO replaces previous fire safety legislation and any fire certificate issued under The Fire Precautions Act 1971 will cease to have any effect.

The RRO applies in England and Wales and requires the ‘responsible person’ e.g. (employer) manager or owner to carry out a fire risk assessment of the workplace (premises) to comply with this new fire safety legislation.

The RRO also covers general fire precautions and other fire safety duties which need to protect the ‘relevant persons’ in case of fire in and around most ‘premises’.

The RRO requires fire precautions be put in place ‘where necessary’ and to the extent that is reasonable and practicable in the circumstances of the case.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) have published fire safety guides for the various types of premises covered by the RRO and free downloads are available on their web site.

www.firesafetyguides.communities.gov.uk

Visiting the web site is the first step towards understanding the legal requirements placed upon the ‘responsible person’, especially if you have been nominated as one by your employer.