The Regulatory Reform Order 2005

All fire legislation changed on 1st October, 2006 and the result, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, is now in force. And that means that you may have to act now to ensure compliance. The main change is that the responsible person for a building (all non domestic) will have to conduct a fire risk assessment.

All previous fire legislation has now been repealed or revoked and it should be noted that fire certificates are no longer valid.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 involves the responsible person(s) for a premises or an area carrying out a fire risk assessment and acting on the outcome. Adopting a fire risk assessment approach means looking at how to prevent fire from occurring in the first place, removing or reducing hazards and risks (ignition sources) and then adopting precautions to ensure that people are adequately protected if a fire were still to occur. The emphasis has been changed to fire prevention rather than purely containment.

The fire risk assessment must also take into consideration the effect a fire may have on anyone in or around your premises plus any neighbouring property. The building fire risk assessment will also need to be kept under regular review. It should be considered a living document.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will apply to all non-domestic properties, including voluntary organisations and will be subject to monitoring and, where appropriate, enforcement by the Local Authority Fire Service (LAFS).
Summary of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
• Fire certificates have been abolished and are no longer issued or in force.
• Responsible person(s) will be responsible for fire safety. They must conduct a fire risk assessment regardless of   the size of the risk.
• The identified responsible person(s) would take full corporate liability.
• Extended scope of consideration now to include property safety, fire fighter safety and the environment around   the site. The responsible person(s) would have a duty to protect all risks.
• Emphasis on business continuity and containing and preventing the spread of small fires.
• Protection is explicitly extended to all occupants, which would include employees, visitors, contractors and   passers-by who would all have to be considered in the fire risk assessment.
• The responsible person could be any of the following:
The employer with control of a workplace
The person with overall management of a building
The Occupier of the premises
The owner of premises, e.g. empty buildings
Landlord of buildings with multiple occupancy.

Industrial Fire Protection Ltd

Meeting The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is now a complex issue and informed assistance is a must have. Contact us for more details on how we can help you.