If you own, manage or operate a business, you must comply with the fire safety law. The main law is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, known as The Fire Safety Order. It applies to businesses across England and Wales and came into force on 1 October 2006.
Who is responsible?
Responsibility for fire safety law is placed on the ‘responsible person’. You are the ‘responsible person’ if you are:
- An employer
- An owner
- A landlord
- An occupier
- In control of a premises such as if you are the building manager, managing agent or risk assessor
There may be several ‘responsible persons’ if you share a building with other occupiers or other businesses.
Your responsibilities
As a ‘responsible person’ to comply with the law, you must make sure:
- Your premises reach the required standards
- Fire Risk Assessments are completed
- Employees are provided with adequate fire safety training
What does ‘adequate fire safety training’ mean?
It varies depending on your business, but it generally includes:
- Induction for all new staff to cover general fire awareness
- Regular refresher training, or extra training if the level of fire risk has increased as a result of changes in your operations
- Training to support people in meeting their fire safety duties, including keeping ‘responsible persons’ up to date on fire safety law
- Training those responsible for fire risk assessments or becoming fire wardens
Read more about fire safety training.
What are Fire Risk Assessments?
As a responsible person, you must ensure a detailed Fire Risk Assessment identifying the risks and hazards in a commercial premises is carried out by a competent person.
The responsible person for the premises is also required to:
- Consider who may be at risk.
- Eliminate or reduce the risk of fire as far as is reasonably practical.
- Provide general fire precautions to deal with any risk.
- Take additional measures to ensure fire safety where flammable or explosive materials are used or stored.
- Create a plan to deal with a fire emergency and where necessary record any findings.
- Maintain general fire precautions, and facilities provided for use by firefighters.
- Keep any findings of the fire risk assessment under review where appropriate.
You can find out how more including how to complete them on the Fire Risk Assessment page.
Where will I find guidance about the required standards for my building?
The guidance you need largely depends on the specific type of building in question. A valuable starting point for most is the gov.uk website, it offers comprehensive guidance for a wide range of circumstances.
For those responsible for specialised housing, including sheltered housing, extra care housing, or supported housing for those with learning disabilities or mental health issues, the NFCC Specialised Housing Guidance is a valuable resource.
If you’re seeking information about purpose-built dwellings, such as high-rise apartment blocks, the Local Government Association (LGA) offers valuable information through their downloadable publication, fire safety in purpose-built flats. In cases where you require more information about shared houses, bedsits, and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), you’ll find guidance at LACoRS.
Fire safety log book
We’ve created an easy to use log book that contains advice to help you and your staff in preventing an outbreak of fire, or if a fire does occur, assist you in preventing injury or unnecessary damage to the premises.
The log book provides guidance on training, testing and maintenance and can be used by your business to record fire safety information.