Fire Regulation Compliance

The cost of a fire can be high and afterwards many businesses do not re-open. Lives can be lost, machinery and equipment damaged beyond repair and documentation destroyed, including important client files, stock etc.

Fire Safety Order

The law regarding Fire Safety in the UK has gone through a dramatic change. On 1st October 2006 the Regulatory reform (Fire & safety) order, came into force, repealing the following legislation:

z The Fire Certificate (Special Premises) Regulations 1971
z The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997
z Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987
o Part 1
z Construction (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996
o Parts
z Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 s78 and Schedule 8

Under the new legislation Fire certificates are no longer be issued (but can be used as a good starting point for your risk assessment), and are replaced with the requirement for fire safety risk assessment. Employers will become solely responsible for fire safety within their workplaces. Under the new fire safety rules there will be a legally designated "responsible person". This identified responsible person will take full corporate liability. You should also check your insurance, as some may not pay out after a fire if you cannot prove your compliance.

The requirement for comprehensive and unique fire risk assessments will remain. You will be responsible for our own fire safety. As such you must conduct a fire risk assessment, Staff Fire Training, Fire Warden Training and the provision of fire emergency plans and maintenance of adequate fire safety precautions. The Guidelines issued by HM Government advise:

   1. Identify fire hazards
   2. Identify people at risk
   3. Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect from risk
   4. Record, plan, inform, instruct and train
   5. Review

Who enforces the Fire Safety Order?
The local fire and rescue authority will enforce the Order in most premises. They will have the power to inspect your premises to check that you are complying with your duties under the Order. If they are dissatisfied with the outcome of your fire risk assessment or the action you have taken, they may issue an enforcement notice that requires you to make certain improvements or, in extreme cases, a prohibition notice that restricts the use of all or part of your premises until improvements are made.

Which Properties Must Comply?
All places of work, therefore all premises.

Who is Responsible for Compliance?
Every employer; every person who has control/responsibility of a workplace; persons who have any contract or tenancy when it relates to - a) the maintenance or repair of the workplace and b) the safety of the workplace; any person who is carrying on with a trade/business is responsible for their premises; the owner of a property, when for instance the premises are unoccupied.

Suggested Action

Identify a Responsible Person and ensure they are aware of their role.
Identify a Competent Person to conduct a Fire Risk Assessment and record significant findings and review.
Based on the Fire Risk Assessment create an Emergency Action Plan and draw a scale drawing of the premises. Put into the Log Book. Remember if you share the premises with another person/building then be aware of the Emergency Action Plan and Evacuation procedures.
Contact your local Fire Service, logging details in Fire File, to make yourself aware of where the Fire Engine will arrive and ensure your premises are accessible.
Create an Evacuation Procedure, incorporating a Special Evacuation Procedure.
Train all employees on fire safety awareness, fire extinguisher training and the evacuation procedure, allocate roles of Fire Warden and Deputy (more than one of each in larger premises) and train on their specific duties. Ensure every person at risk, i.e. visitors, clients etc have been trained on your fire evacuation procedure.
Conduct Fire Risk Assessments annually (record and review), or before if amendments are made to premises or after a fire.
Carry out fire drills, at the very least, annually, record, plan, instruct, train and review findings.
Maintain all Fire Safety equipment in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and record findings in your log book.
Maintain all electrical equipment in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and record findings in your log book.
Always look out for fire risks and hazards, log them and reduce/remove them - remember to update the Fire Log with any updates.
Continually update the Fire Log Book.

JDS HR has created a Fire File to assist businesses with compliance to the new Fire Safety Order. The file contains: a comprehensive risk assessment, significant findings sheet (and examples of how to complete these), a Log Book - with details of what and when should be tested, an Evacuation Procedure and Special Evacuation Procedure, details on how to write your emergency plan, Fire Warden Responsibility, a sample visitor badge, and a 'To do' list. With the file is a one hour overview talking through the file and discussing the risk assessment.

JDS HR can conduct the Risk Assessment for you as a competent person.

Training, JDS HR will train your employees to ensure you are within the RRFSO, with special Fire Safety awareness facilitated training and DVD.

For further details please contact Katherine Simpson, 078 5663 5661, or katherine.simpson@jdshr.com, or enquiries@jdshr.com.