The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the biggest overhaul of fire safety legislation in decades.
The Order, which came into force on 1 October 2006, firmly places the responsibility for ensuring fire does not put lives at risk with the 'responsible person', which in most cases will be the employer. At the same time, it allows the enforcing authority to make sure that the legislation is complied with and sets penalties if it is not.
The Order requires the responsible person (or their representative) to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of their workplace, to remove or reduce fire hazards as far as possible, and to ensure that all facilities relating to fire alarm and detection systems and firefighting are well maintained. The risk assessment should also include evacuation procedures and staff training requirements. Click here to download a free information leaflet on how to conduct a simple risk assessment.
The FPA's Essentials of Fire Safety Management aims to help businesses understand the implications of the new Fire Safety Order. Printed in full colour, it provides expert guidance and advice on a wide range of topics, all of which will be of concern to fire safety managers.
The FPA has also updated many of its publications to reflect the changes introduced by the new legislation. Fire Risk Management in the Workplace (3rd edition) provides guidance on the various methods of risk assessment. The FPA Workplace Fire Safety Log Book contains record sheets to help employers keep a record of their actions.
The Goverment has produced a free guidance leaflet, as well as range of guidance documents to support the legislation. To download the free guidance, click here. For further information on the guidance documents, click here.
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